//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: The First Book of Revelations // Story: Fallout: Equestria. We're no Heroes // by otherunicorn //------------------------------// Chapter 24: The First Book of Revelations "If I only had a brain" Another two days of walking under the endless clouds of the pegasus ceiling put us in the area of Stable Lab Four, and the town that had grown above it, Looking at the ruins and debris that were about, I concluded the area had been an industrial estate before the war. I hadn't really noticed the extent of what had originally been built here when I escaped, as all I was concerned with was escaping, and remaining hidden while I did so. Over the last two days of travel, there had only been one major inconvenience, and that was when Lana's wheelchair failed. This was the chair's first major outing after all, and it was essentially an untested design made from the remains of two hundred year old robots, so it had been doing really well. Between us, Lee and I were able to repair and reform the damaged components, allowing Lana to continue to use the chair. Had we failed, she would have had to drag her weight and that of the chair with only her front legs, or abandon the chair and ride on Saffron for the rest of the way. Neither was overly concerned at that part of the idea, but we didn't want to lose the chair, and practicality dictated that it would be best for Lana to maintain her own mobility. Occasionally we would flick on the radio. We were being rewarded with a few newly recovered songs, and a few that were actually new recording, thanks to a certain somepony called Velvet Remedy. In between the music, what DJ-pony was saying, or failing to say had us all worried. We could see the smoke, so clearly there was fire. Rumors of fights, Red Eye and Unity's weird alicorns that were becoming a more common sight were all worrying us. Add to that the odds and ends I had heard back at Bukov's and before that, while I was sneaking around New Appleloosa. Red Eye was up to something big. Normally he was just the annoying voice in those sprite bots, and as the Watcher had discovered, I tended to shoot those on sight. Now he seemed to be the power behind things that were actually happening. I may have been able to deal with Bukov, but I knew Red Eye was totally out of my league. Instead of worrying about what I couldn't do, I was going to do my best at what I could, and at the moment, that seemed to be acting as a guide and protector for the ponies of Stable Four. It wasn't a bad fate, and if that was what life had determined for me, I would do it, and gladly. Wandering the wasteland was getting old. Even if Stable Four had been hell for them, and even if we really did intend to move to a better place, the security it offered at the moment was not something to be squandered. Perhaps we should just fortify ourselves there, and let the wasteland come to us. Perhaps the suggested trading post really was the best solution for them. But before I could actually do anything for Stable Four, I had to deal with Loopy, one way or the other. Neither outcome would be ideal, unless there was some way to separate the new Lee from the old, though how I could do that, I had no idea. As we approached the former settlement above Stable Lab Four my hopes for helping Lee sank. The rumors were right in that something had destroyed the stable and the settlement. Some buildings were still standing, mostly towards the edges of the small town. A few paces in, they took on a severe tilt and just a few paces further again, everything became part of a jumbled mess of debris clinging to the sides of a steeply sloped crater. It wasn't a particularly deep crater though, and its bottom was the resting place for all that hadn't held on to the sides. At least three or four levels of the stable had collapsed. Of course, that was enough to make the whole place inaccessible, and to probably kill everypony within. Perhaps some of the rooms towards the edges of the stable complex had survived, though getting to them would be near impossible. How the lowest levels, and the great secret section fared was anypony's guess. Intent on seeing if there was any chance of finding my way in, or perhaps finding some equipment or even records of what was done to Lee, I approached the place. It soon became apparent that the former settlement above Stable Lab Four was not totally abandoned. We could hear ponies talking. They weren't saying anything spectacular, just talking about ordinary daily life. I thought I heard a stallion ask if their child had brushed their teeth! What they were doing living at the edge of a sinkhole, I had no idea. Perhaps this had been their home before. My Pipgirl was showing no signs of radiation, so the explosion that destroyed the stable bellow had not been from a balefire weapon. At least we had that on our side. Perhaps these locals knew something. A quick check of my E.F.S. showed me what I already knew: that these ponies were not hostile. Constructed in front of the building from which I could hear the voices was a lean-to roof covering a couple of old benches that bore an assortment of salvaged junk of Stable-Tec origin. Larger pieces of junk were also propped and stacked in a yard enclosed by a shoulder-high fence made from assorted bricks and cement rubble. That made sense. A living could be eked out salvaging junk from the accessible parts of the ruins. We were walking along the fence, approaching the gate into the yard when, though the open doorway I saw a dusky red stallion with a grey mane, and my heart felt like it stopped. I could clearly see his cutie mark of bundled documents tied with red tape. My hoof went up around Lee's shoulder, quite a feat if you consider my diminutive size, and I flattened her on the ground next to me. "Sorry Lee, but stay quiet and don't move!" I urgently whispered. "What, why?" she whispered back, moving a little to get comfortable. "That pony is..." I began. "Red Tape at your service. How may I help you," the stallion's voice called. Demi looked down at us, raised an eyebrow, then looked back up at the stallion. "Yes, Mister Red Tape, we are looking for some parts to fix Lana's wheelchair. It uses Robronco parts as a basis, with a few Stable-Tec parts thrown in for good measure." Good save, Demi! As the other ponies headed into Red Tape's yard, I relaxed a little, going from flattened against the ground to just lying there. Of all of the possibilities I had thought about, my father being the first pony I met here was something I had not considered. I still didn't know whether I wanted to kill him for what he did to my mother and I all those years ago, or not. Thinking about it, I realized I hadn't been holding onto any desire for revenge, or any sense of hate; I was simply afraid. Seeing the circumstances in which he was now, I knew there was nothing he could do to us, no way he could drag us back down into Stable Lab Four for the purpose of experimenting on us, or putting us back into his cyborg army. Now he was just an old pony surviving on the ruins of his former home. Others from the stable must have survived too, moving on to other lives. I guess it was possible one or two others were still clinging to their former lives, living from the ruins like he was. I wondered what had happened to the Overmare. I still figured I'd buck her upside the head if I saw her. "Hello, pretty ladies," a small voice greeted us. I stopped trying to listen to the discussions on spare parts that was going on in the yard, turning my attention to the unicorn filly that had just appeared out of the gateway. She must have been six or seven at most, and had a dusky pink coat and brown mane and tail. On her foreleg she was wearing a tiny Pipgirl. "Are you hiding? Why are you hiding?" "Because I didn't want to be seen, of course!" I said back. "I don't know what to say to that stallion, so I'm hiding while I think about it." "Don't ask me," Lee added, addressing the filly. "I don't know who he is. Who are you? What's your name?" "It's Duct Tape because Dad says it stays with the Tape family name, and he thought I might grow up good at fixing stuff like my big sister!" the small filly explained. She was a chatty little thing. I figured after three sentences, I'd know her whole life story. "You have a big sister?" I asked, cogs working in my mind. "Yes, but I have never met her. Dad says she went away many years ago." The filly looked a little sad at that. "I have a sister and I've never met her. I hope she didn't go away forever like my mommy did." "Your big sister didn't go away forever," I responded as the unconsidered became reality. Any thoughts of retaliation against Red Tape were immediately dismissed. It wasn't like I was giving up on any long held grudge. I was simply moving him into the "avoid shooting at all costs" category, despite my dislike of him. "Really?" the filly asked, awe struck. "How do you know? Have you met her?" "No, I've never met her," I laughed. I didn't think the mirror counted as meeting, "but I do know where she is. Please take me to meet your father." I turned to Lee. "Just lie here and listen to what happens for a few minutes, okay, Mum?" "If you insist," Lee replied with a puzzled expression on her face. Enough of the message had got through to her. She could work out the rest. Standing, I followed Duct Tape past the fence and into the salvage yard. Red Tape was chatting with Lana and Saffron, trying to talk up the advantages of some piece of scrap circuitry over another, and how it would help with the wheelchair. I don't think either Lana or Saffron really understood what he was saying, but I did, and he was being accurate and honest. At least as a salespony, he wasn't corrupt. I stopped beside Demi, giving her a quick nuzzle. When Red Tape noticed another pony had joined the group, he glanced across at me, before returning his attention to Lana for a moment. Suddenly he froze mid word, and turned his head to look at me again, his red eyes going very wide. His shock was evident. The other emotions that flashed across his face in the following moments included disbelief, fear, and surprisingly, relief. "Hello, Dad," I addressed him casually. "Very long time, no see." "A-Anne?" he stammered. "Anne, is that really you? How can it be you after all these years. It really is you, isn't it?" He didn't wait for an answer, dropping what he was holding, bowing down before me, which considering my diminutive stature meant he was practically groveling at my hooves. "I am so sorry for what I did. I've spent so long wishing, hoping I would see you again one day so I could apologize. I don't know if you could ever forgive such an unforgivable act, but please, please, humor an old pony, and at least accept my sincerity." "Well, I've not shot you back, so I'd say we are off to a good start," I responded. He looked up at me with hopeful eyes. "You mean... he really is your father?" Lana asked. "The one and the same," I responded, "so this is our happy little family reunion. Say hello to my little sister Duct Tape." "Hello everypony!" the diminutive unicorn greeted us enthusiastically. "I didn't know you had a sister!" Demi interjected. "Neither did I, until she told me herself a few moments ago," I answered, looking down fondly at the filly. A sister. A sister! Well, a half sister, technically, but I wasn't going to hold that against her. My father slowly stood again, a little hope in his eyes. "Do I dare hope your mother survived too?" he asked, ignoring what others had said. "That would be asking a bit much," I answered. "What happened? When?" He sounded genuinely sad, his whole body drooping. "Cybernetic failure a few weeks ago, I think. She hit her head pretty hard. Her personality stepped out a few hours later, and hasn't been back since," I explained. "Wait, what?" Red Tape puzzled. "So where is she... her body?" "Oh, she's hiding behind the fence, just there. She has no idea who she is, or who you are," I stated. "Lee, come meet your ex-husband." "Lee?" Red Tape questioned the name I had used, puzzled. Lee's disembodied voice replied. "Ex-husband. Okay. This is weird, considering I've never been married. And what you said is not quite right." She stood, appearing from behind the barrier. "I know exactly who I am. What I am doing in this strange pony body in this weird pony world is where it gets a little... confusing." "See what I mean?" I said to Red Tape. "She looks just about as good as the day you shot her in the head, but despite attempts to fix it, it seems her head is broken, again." "Shh, not in front of the child please," Red Tape whispered, in a panic. "I never told her that part of the story." "Daddy, did you shoot this mare?" a small voice piped up, as if on cue. I looked down at the wide, innocent eyes. Welcome to the wasteland, kid. "Oh, what the heck," Red Tape cussed. "Yes, Duct Tape. Do you remember that I told you your Daddy did some bad things many years ago, and how lots of ponies suffered and died because of it?" The small filly nodded. "I shot your big sister and her mother. The doctors sort fixed them, and then they ran away," he explained. "Your Daddy used to be a very bad pony, and he is so sorry for that now." "Too bad you didn't learn that lesson back then," I muttered. "True, true, but what is done is done, and can't be undone. That I have learned the hard way. No matter what good I may do now, it will never erase or correct what I did back then. Ultimately, I have a stable full of ponies on my conscience. I may share the guilt, but that doesn't excuse me." "Wow. You sound more like the pony I used to know, or more to the point, the pony you used to pretend to be," I said. "Forgive my skepticism." "I can't say I blame you. Anyway, if we can steer the conversation on to more pleasant subjects, who are these ponies with you, and what brings you out here?" Red Tape asked, indicating the other members of my group. "I'm her daughter, so you must be my Grandpa!" Demi announced with a smirk. That would certainly change the mood of the conversation! "I thought Anne was... um..." Red Tape blushed profusely. "Sterile?" I offered. "I am." "So I adopted her as my new mother!" Demi stated, turning, biting her barding and lifting it clear of her flank. "I've even got the proof on my butt!" she exclaimed, revealing her cutie mark, a stylized picture of me. I guess that was one way to look at our relationship! I thought of her as my daughter. She thought of me as her new mother. As such, we may as well call ourselves mother and daughter. Wow. I had a daughter. My family seemed to be growing rapidly today. Now it was time to see if I could get my mother back as well. "I am Saffron Fields, formerly of the Steel Rangers," Saffron introduced himself. The formerly word was interesting. "And this is my significant other, Lana," he added, introducing the aqua pony. Red Tape and Duct Tape greeted each in turn. "Formerly of the Steel Rangers?" Red Tape asked. "From what I understood, when a pony joined the Steel Rangers, they joined them for life." "And through death I was able to leave," Saffron confirmed. "Conceptual death. Almost physical death. I can no longer uphold my vows with a clear conscience." "You are a new stallion. I understand all too well," Red Tape acknowledged. "As to why we came here," I picked up the thread of the conversation, "is to get help for Lee. What form that help takes is anypony's guess. I want my mother back. This Lee wants to stay alive, and have her own body back, whatever that may be. How these things can be achieved, I cannot fathom, especially considering the crater behind you. Saffron is here due to an agreement between us. Lana and Demi are with us for obvious reasons. You wouldn't have any spare Pipgirls, would you?" "How long has she called herself Lee?" Red Tape asked, ignoring the question about Pipgirls. "She's been doing that since our escape. This personality calls herself Lee too. Why? Do you know something about these weird names?" "I do," Red Tape stated, and left it at that. Apparently, for several years Red Tape had been earning a living by selling salvage taken from the remains of the stable. Initially he had been trying to rescue other ponies, then later, recover bodies. The salvage business had almost accidentally developed from his need to move things to the surface to get them out of his way. These days tiny Duct Tape helped too, crawling into spaces that Red Tape simply could not fit. The results of all the exploration and retrieval was that there were now a number of cleared passages through the rubble, leading to more intact sections of the former stable. Apparently in one of these sections was the automated clinic used in maintaining the cyborgs. Back when it was built, it had the ability to interface with the cyborg bodies, detect faults, and remedy them. It could also analyze the well being of the organic parts of the cyborgs and administer medication or operate as was required. How well it worked now was unknown. It had been powered down for some time, but was still intact. Red Tape was currently leading Lee and I through the twisted remains of the stable to the room in question. Demi was tagging along too, rather than staying up on the surface with the lovers. We had left our battle saddles in Red Tape's shack, because they were too cumbersome to be wearing while trying to crawl or squeeze through gaps in the rubble, something I was glad of as I scrambled across a canted section of floor. Red Tape and Duct Tape had jury rigged lamps in the areas where stable lighting no longer worked, propped beams or sheets of loose metal across holes and gaps in the floor, and strung ropes where a safety railing was needed. "There is still power coming up from the lower levels. The reactors are still running strong. After all, they had been regularly maintained until just a few years ago. You'll need to route the power from them, or some convenient node to the auto clinic yourself," Red Tape explained, "though that shouldn't take you very long at all, Anne." Evidently, he still remembered my power seeking and wire repairing skills. "What about the other ponies that lived here?" I asked. "I've only seen you and Duct Tape." It bothered me somewhat that out of a whole stable, it seemed as if only two ponies escaped with their lives, one of them being my father. He had mentioned trying to rescue others, but so far had given no indication of success. "There were a few other survivors. Do you remember Majestic Lavaliere? She was your friend, wasn't she? She was one of them, and her uncle was another. They, and some of the other survivors took up wandering, working as caravan guards, mercenaries or whatever. Most of the others headed towards Friendship City, hoping to sell their skills there," Red Tape explained, "although there were not that many of them, considering the original complement. Most were killed by the percussion, or crushed to death under the rubble. A lot of their bodies are still down there, buried under tons of concrete and steel. We recovered and buried who we could, but..." "Sad. So many innocent ponies lost. I'm glad this place is no longer hurting ponies, but what a tragic way for it to happen," I lamented. "A guilt I carry with me every day," Red Tape assured me. "If only I had seen what was coming. Hell, if I'd taken a different direction in the first place... We should have never agreed to continue with the cyborg experiments." "What caused the explosion?" I asked. "I heard it was a pissed off borg. Were you still converting ponies against their will? What did they use as explosives? You said the reactors are still functional, and I don't detect any radiation." Red Tape led us under a leaning beam, and over some partially cleared rubble before answering. "A couple years after you left, it became apparent we were not going to survive cooped up down here. Our gene pool was too limited. Our resources were dwindling. There was a strong movement against the cyborg experiments that threatened to turn into a civil war of sorts. To give new purpose to the ponies, and improve our opportunities, we decided to initiate limited contact with the surface. We opened a clinic and some shops in the ruins above. Ponies from the stable had the chance to serve on the surface. Some were even allowed to head out in exploration parties, making contact with other towns. That brought us some traffic. Other merchants started using the place as a market. Some wastelanders even settled up there. The research into cybernetics continued, but was limited to a few ponies who wanted upgrading. A couple of times we even did full conversion jobs to outsiders." "That much I know," I responded. "Bukov was damn hard to kill." "Oh, he's dead? That is a pity. He had some interesting visions for the repopulation of Equestria," Red Tape commented. "Too bad he ran his place like you used to run this one," I responded. "I killed him for stealing Demi, and to stop him making sex slaves of any more fillies." "I had heard rumors. I didn't want to believe them," Red Tape said. "You were saying about the demise of this place?" I prompted. "How did it happen?" "Oh, yes. Not long after that, we discovered our link to the Ministry of Awesome was a lie. After all, we now had scouts out wandering the wasteland. It soon became obvious that none of the Ministries had survived the war. That left us wondering where our mandates kept coming from. That was when we discovered there was a Celestia damned pod-pony system running Stable Lab Four, and we were communicating with him, and not with the Ministry at all." "Wait... you mean someone other than the Overmare was running the show?" I spluttered. "Yes. Apparently the Ministry of Awesome had wanted us on a short leash. They wanted one of their own in command, even if the stable was to remain closed for generations, so using the pod-pony was how they did it. If any of the former overmares knew, they didn't pass the knowledge on to our generation. So there we were blindly following the mandates and communications, doing what they laid out, unaware they were irrelevant, and that there was no Ministry," Red Tape said, ducking under another obstruction, before squeezing and wriggling through a small gap in the debris. "The bastard was trying to build his own power base, manipulating us to get what he wanted. All the same, none of that excuses what we did to you, or the other unwilling conversions. 'I was just following orders' is one of the most worn out excuses for unforgivable behavior. It is unfortunate that I did not understand that back then." The gap that had proved difficult for Red Tape wasn't that much of a problem for smaller ponies. I walked through the gap with little trouble, as did Demi. Lee found it harder. In the end, she laid down, stretched out, and had me levitate her while we pulled her through. As soon as she was back on her hooves, Red Tape took the lead again, occasionally looking back over his shoulder as we talked. "What exactly is a pod-pony?" I asked, wondering which image my mind was conjuring was the correct one. "The pod was some sort of egg shaped life support system, which put the pony inside into a coma, suspended its life functions to the point it would barely age, yet left its brain able to interact with what was being fed to it via its sensors. In effect, it was a cyberbrain system like used in some of those Robronco pony robots, with the distinction that the brain was left in the pony's body, and the pony could be revived at a later date to live on as an ordinary pony." "Don't forget that Lee and I are cyberbrain ponies too," I pointed out. "What about the pod-pony? Is he dead?" I asked. "I really don't know. He was hidden down in the lower levels, and I haven't been down there since the explosion. I don't imagine the self destruct would have killed him, as the blast was pretty much restricted to the upper levels where we all lived." "Oh, down in the top secret area I wasn't meant to know about?" I asked. "Yes. For what it's worth, you would have been given access had things not gone the way they did. Teresa had access," Red Tape confirmed. "By the way, how do you know about it?" "I followed the wiring down there with my magic," I responded. "That was fairly early on! Tell me, why haven't you been down there since?" "Impenetrable rubble, or impenetrable walls. Take your pick. The best chance would be to try to cut through the steel bulkhead atop the wiring shaft. It's secured from below, and quite thick. I haven't had the time, or inclination for that matter," he said. "Anyway, towards the end, the pod pony's demands were becoming more and more unreasonable. That was when we decided to sever ties with him, and do what we should have done in the first place, which was to look after the ponies in our charge instead of exploiting them. That was when the bastard set off the stable self destruct." Red Tape stopped, and turned back to face us. "That happened almost seven years ago. At the time of the explosion, I was out on the surface with my newly born daughter, getting some fresh air. One of the most guilty ponies of the stable survived without a scratch, as did the most innocent." Red Tape paused. "So there you have it, a pod-pony, not a cyber-pony was responsible for the explosion. It was conventional explosives, and by the look of the result, it was designed to bury what was in the stable in such a way that the Ministry of Awesome could dig it out at a future date." "You must tell me what is so valuable down there that they would have provisions for wiping out their entire staff. And what of your wife, the second one, anyway? Did she survive?" I asked. "The Overmare was killed in that same explosion," Red Tape said sadly. He stopped in front of a partially opened, vertically lifting door. A sign above it read "Cybernetic testing and repair". "This would be our stop, then," I commented. "Good luck. I'll leave you to it. I have a daughter and a shop to watch. Come see me when you are done, and we can talk more," Red Tape bade us, turning and walking away. "Seeya Dad," I called after him. "See you soon," he responded. "So that is your father," Demi commented when Red Tape was far away enough not to be able to hear. "At least he seems to be better than mine." "Let's hope it is so. I'm not prepared to totally trust him, even after all he has said," I stated. "Anyway, let's get on with what we came to do," I suggested, placing my horn against the power switch of the unpowered door, and closing my eyes. It had taken a few hours for me to successfully reroute all of the wires needed to get the power to the cyborg clinic again. The damage to the stable was so extensive that I had to bypass some areas entirely. Sometimes I'd find some wiring I could use to get power closer, but would then have to disconnect sections of damaged and short circuited wires to get it to work. It was late, the sun long since set, not that we could see it down here, and I was tired, so tired, from working the wires. It was time for other ponies to do some work. I was lying on the floor, Demi snuggled next to me while Lee was typing away at the control panel for the automated clinic, running it through some of its test and recalibration routines. Red Tape had popped down again to see how we were progressing before leaving to entertain the others. I yawned. The auto-clinic itself was a large, vertically standing dark gray cylinder, adorned with assorted protrusions housing the various arms and tools used in performing maintenance or surgery. The largest pony would find the size of the machine acceptable, though I could not see one of those alicorns being able to fit in there. I had always found it spacious, even if it was never comfortable. Attached to the metal cylinder was the bulky cabinet containing its parts store, as well as a refrigerated section for storing biomaterials. That of course was sealed up and off-line, having been unpowered for several years. A biohazard symbol was flashing on its status panel. "Organic reserves off line. Medication levels nominal. All parameters within acceptable limits," the machine announced after a succession of buzzes and clicks. The processing chamber door swung open, inviting its patient to enter. "Here goes nothing," Lee said, approaching the chamber. "I've set it to analyze and test my systems. Hopefully it will explain to us what has happened to me. Wish me well." "Good luck, and I hope we can find a solution that is acceptable to both of us," I replied. "Yeah, thanks." With that said, Lee climbed into the chamber and the door swung closed behind her. The door itself was fitted with a viewing port through which the process could be observed. Demi and I could see what was going on well enough from where we lay. We watched as mechanisms moved around Lee, grasping her, holding her in the required position for the tests. With her firmly gripped, a probe extended, penetrating the back of her neck. "Ouch, that was unexpected," Lee stated. We could just hear her over the noises of the machine. "Establishing contact with cybernetic core," the automatic clinic announced. "Downloading and analyzing logs." One of the machine's monitors began to play back the last few days of Lee's old personality, starting from the morning we woke in Ponyville. I watched as the last few days my mother was in control of her body played at high speed. The playback stopped with Ditzy Doo's victory picnic for us. That was when Lee had gone crazy, when my mother had vanished, and this alien had taken over her body. "Saving recording to memory orb for analysis," the machine announced. "That was weird," Demi said. "Watching life through the eyes of your mother." "That was only a couple of days before I met you," I said. "This is so uncomfortable!" a muffled voice from inside the auto-clinic commented. "Critical failure detected," the mechanized voice announced. "Tell us something we don't already know," I muttered. "Patient is deceased," the machine stated. A shock went through me as my body dumped a load of adrenaline into my bloodstream. What had been casual observation became intense scrutiny as I sat bolt upright, straining to hear what was coming next. The machine continued. "No further treatment is possible. Beginning decontamination and reclamation procedure." Inside the chamber Lee screamed as automated scalpels started to cut her skin, peeling it away with other manipulators. I was on my hooves almost instantly, rushing to the control panel, trying to find any sort of control or button that would allow me to abort the process. My mind had that razor sharp clarity one gets when running on adrenaline, but for all that, I could find no way to abort the process or even any way to force the machine to shut down. For all the good I was doing, I may have had just as much success blindly pushing buttons. While I was doing that, Demi tackled the chamber itself, banging at the door, trying to find some way to force it open. The machine was extremely fast and efficient, and by the time I glanced up a second time, Lee's head had been stripped back to bare metal. I could see she was straining against the manipulators that held her but as strong as she was, it had her securely gripped. I thought about my next move. Perhaps I could use my horn to cut power, or disable the machine some other way with my magic, but before I could even begin to act, another set of manipulators reached around Lee's metal skull, seeking out a set of indentations near a seam line that marked the removable section of the metal brain casing. With a muffled crack, the seam separated. "Stop, you fucking stupid machine!" I wailed, my eyes fixed on the horrors that were unfolding before me. I watched helplessly as the mechanisms of the auto-clinic pulled the top-rear of Lee's metal skull away. As soon as the secondary seals separated, a foul liquid flowed from within, splashing down over Lee's body, and other parts of the machine itself. Within moments, an overpoweringly foul stench hit me. It was worse than the smell of death in Stable Four, so many times more concentrated. Even as my nasal filters kicked in, I found myself retching. "Chamber seal failure detected. Please evacuate the room until the biohazard can be cleared," the machine announced without emotion, as it activated its high powered cleaning system. The view through the panel in the chamber door was obscured by a combination of blood, skin, hair, decayed brain matter and high pressure steam swirling about inside. So that was it. My Lee was gone. Dead. My quest for help had been doomed from the very beginning. My mind raced through old memories, trying to tie them with what the machine had just claimed, while at the same time trying to rescue Demi from the disabling stench. She had collapsed near the chamber door, spasming as she tried to empty her guts. I was able to gain just enough control of myself to use my pushing magic to keep the escaping steam and effluent from hitting her, while at the same time levitating her away from the auto-clinic. I staggered out through the door, hitting the button to close it. The door rapidly descended from the ceiling, sealing the clinic behind me. I took a couple more steps before collapsing beside Demi, coughing, choking and crying all that the same time. Gradually, coughing and choking receded, the crying and sobbing taking their place. That went on for a little while. As soon as she was able, Demi wriggled herself into my embrace, and we say here hugging each other until we regained some control of our senses. "I... I didn't expect that..." I finally managed. "So... she was already dead?" Demi asked. Death and moving about were somewhat mutually exclusive, except in the case of some ghouls, poor undead creatures sustained by necromantic magic alone, so coming to grasp with the concept required stretching one's concept of reality. "Yes. She died only a few hours after Saffron hit her. Knowing that actually explains a lot of what we have seen since then," I muttered. "Her loss of memory, her inability to revert to her old self at all... the comments the healers made about something being wrong, something that wouldn't heal... her recent stink..." "Yes, she was getting a bit whiffy of late. Remember that zombie pony that ignored her?" Demi offered. I nodded. "It's sad. I was with her, and I didn't even realize she had died," I said, breaking down in tears again. Our crying eventually gave way to silence, and Demi and I remained as we were, sitting there in silence, hugging each other as if nothing else in the world mattered. Actually that was a very accurate summation of how I felt. Really, nothing else mattered as much as Demi now. Lee was gone, out of the equation, of no consequence. There would not even be enough left to bury, the auto-clinic having washed all that was my mother from the cyberframe. Approaching hoofsteps eventually broke the mood, and we looked up as Red Tape arrived. He nodded towards me, and lifted a hoof to point at my prosthetic leg. "When you get the machine running, you should get that leg of yours fixed too," he said. "Your friends told me you lost it." Demi and I looked at him as if he had just told us to climb into a mincing machine. After a few moments of awkward silence, I spoke. "Me? Get into that machine? No way!" "Why not?" Red Tape asked. "What happened? For that matter, where is Teresa, or Lee or whatever she calls herself these days?" "She's.... she's in the machine," Demi said quietly. "Or to be more accurate, what is left of her was still in the auto-clinic when we left the room." "Lee is dead," I stated. "The machine pulled her apart and sterilized her cyberframe." Red Tape's looked as if though he'd just been whacked across the head with a crowbar. "Sweet Celestia! It killed her?" he almost shouted as his red coloration somehow turned grayish. "No. She was already dead. Don't ask me how she has been walking around for the last few weeks, because I don't know, but there is now no doubt whatsoever that she was quite dead," I stated. "How do you know that?" Red Tape asked, taking a few steps towards the door to the clinic, to see for himself. "Because the machine opened her skull and rotting sludge poured out!" I half cried, half sobbed. Red Tape froze for a moment, then slowly turned back towards us, and just stood there, stunned. Several minutes passed. I watched as his face displayed his internal struggles, and I could see it pained him. Suddenly, he turned back towards the clinic, hit the button that opened the door, and walked inside the moment the way was clear. From inside, a frustrated feminine voice, somewhat muffled, called, "Could someone please let me out of this damn machine?" Footnote: Level Up. Perk: Karma realignment. You can make peace with old enemies.