//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Preperations and Dedications 
// Story: Fallout: Equestria - Shadow of the Day 
// by Kaciekk 
//------------------------------//

With the clip clops of hooves, SwiftHaze cantered down the stone staircase. She peeked her head into the living room, but nobody was there. She entered the kitchen and saw SilverFlash searching through the cabinets. His head rose when he heard Haze come near him.

“Which one did you watch?” He questioned.

Haze was taken aback. “Um, it was one of CharmingRhythm’s memories. He was in a cabin, you were there.”

Flash nodded. “Annual family trip.”

“You... seemed so much different,” Haze admitted. “I didn’t even recognize you at first.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve actually seen my face,” Flash said. Before she could reply, he added, “You don’t want to. I’m as ugly as any other ghoul.”

There was a pause. Flash turned back to the counter. Haze saw some pots sitting out on the stove. She remembered he was cooking in the memory.

“Do you like to cook?” She wondered.

Flash nodded. “Always have. Although I don’t really need to eat as much as I used to. But I like to cook for others, and I so happen to have company over.” He turned to face her for once. “Oh, and you’re welcome to stay a night. There’s enough beds for all of you.”

He does have a heart, Haze confirmed for herself. “I mean, yeah, I saw all the bedrooms. Why the fuck are there so many?”

“Rhythm and Heartfelt had three kids, and they often had company over... also Rhythm was one of the most successful musicians of his time, so of course he’d be living well,” Flash explained.

“Hey, Haze!” Ray’s voice called from behind. “Wanna look at Rhythm’s studio?”

“I guess?” Haze peered around. “Is Chance with you?”

“He’s in the studio.”

“Show me the way,” Haze told her.

On the way, they passed by framed photos on shelves. Haze looked at a photo of the mint green mare she had seen in Rhythm’s memory, standing next to a blue stallion. She recognized the stallion from Ray’s photo of Linkin Pony. He was older here, with grey starting to form in his blue and black mane. This must have been CharmingRhythm. He had a warm smile encircled by black and grey facial hair, and deep brown eyes. The mare next to him was shorter, and had a cute, crooked smile. His wife? What was the name Flash had mentioned?

In another photo was a young, sky blue stallion in a grey suit. He was standing next to an older, gorgeous white Unicorn with a swirling purple mane. Something about the photo told Haze that this wasn’t a couple, but perhaps business partners. The younger Unicorn had the same dark brown eyes as CharmingRhythm, as well as black and brown hair, perhaps inherited from both Rhythm and his wife.

“You coming?” Ray said from somewhere further in the mansion.

“Yeah.” Haze picked up her speed again.

She entered into what she assumed to be CharmingRhythm’s studio. There were dusty instruments around the room, and paintings on the wall. Tattered blinds hung over the windows. GleamingChance was sitting in a chair behind a desk. In front of him was a lit computer screen, and below it were two different keyboards; one for music and one for typing. The white ceiling had large foam panels on it for soundproofing.

“Hey! Guess what! CharmingRhythm and HyperBlitz recorded singing here!” Ray claimed happily. Her metal hoof was pointing to a door which was just slightly open. It only looked like a dark closet.

Haze didn’t respond, and instead stepped in front of a sofa. There were picture frames sitting on the large desk in front of her. She was standing behind Chance, who was scrolling through the computer files.

“What are you looking at?” Haze asked.

“Oh, I just like browsing,” Chance replied. “It seems like I find something new every time I look at this.”

“There’s even videos of CharmingRhythm!” Ray beamed. “It’s so cool!”

“Hey, Chance, you got a second?” Haze said.

The blue haired Unicorn spun around in the office chair. “Sure.”

“So…” Haze scuffed her hoof on the carpet floor. “I’ve decided. We’re going to help you find your mom!” She grinned.

“And how exactly are you going to do that?” Chance’s eyes widened.

“Well, I guess first, we gotta get some supplies to get back into Stable 47!” Haze decided.

“Oh, treasure hunt!” Ray cheered.

“Where do you think we can get a spark battery?” Haze inquired from Chance. 

Chance sighed. “Most places that would have them are probably already claimed by the Steel Rangers.” Haze slumped but Chance continued, “But... I do know somebody who has some. But he won’t be happy if we borrow one.”

“Well, we could tell him that we’ll return one if we find another! I mean, we’ve gotta be able to find one when we’re looking for your mom, right?” Haze suggested.

“I guess,” Chance considered, although sounded unconvinced.

“What about more weapons, or ammo?” Ray reminded Haze.

“Hmm, we got that shotgun.”

“Flash has a stockpile of supplies, if you’d like to look through them,” Chance said.

“Oh, really? Sure! Anyone can look through them?” Haze asked.

“Yeah, he said they’re for anybody to use.”


The trio peeked into the kitchen for a moment. Haze smelled what Flash was cooking, but didn’t think it was the same smell from Rhythm’s memory.

“Hey, Flash, can we look at your supply stash?” Chance requested.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Flash replied, his eyes on a pot in front of him.

Chance led them to the stockroom. One of the walls was curved, with mirrored doors covering it. On the other side were shelves behind glass doors. Some doors held supplies, some had… old shoes and clothes.

“Is this a fucking shoe closet?” Haze blurted out. “Like this whole fucking room?”

“Erm, I think?” Chance said. “Flash has repurposed it.”

“Who in Celestia’s name needs an entire room for shoes?!” Haze flipped her muzzle up and shouted.

Chance opened one of the glass doors. On the shelves were ammo containers. He picked one in his magic. 

“This will work for that sniper rifle you found,” he announced.

“I left it at Echo’s…” Haze peeked over his shoulder at the shelves. “Is there any that would fit my assault rifle?”

“I’m sure there is,” Chance replied.

“Oh, what are these?” Ray asked from the corner of the room. She had something in her hoof that looked like a metal apple. 

Just as Chance glanced over in her direction, he quickly snatched the object in his magic. “These are grenades! Don’t mess with them!” 

“Why?” Ray cocked her head.

“They explode!” Chance snapped.

“Then why are they in here?” Haze questioned sternly.

“Because… they just are, okay?” Chance retorted.

“Doesn’t seem okay to have something so dangerous laying around,” Haze shot back.

“They’re meant to be thrown at enemies! And they only explode if you pull the pin,” Chance explained.

“Do you think I could use them?” Ray asked, intrigued.

Chance just stared for a moment. “I mean, I suppose they aren’t a bad weapon for an Earth Pony to use. You don’t really have to aim with them like a gun.”

“Sounds great!” Ray beamed.

“Ray, I told you, just use S.A.T.S. when you aim,” Haze countered.

Ray shook her head. “I don’t like guns. They’re just too hard to use.”

Haze just huffed. She took a gaze around the room. “So what do you think we could offer to Stable 47?”

“Why not ammo?” Chance shrugged.

“I was thinking more like weapons.” 

Haze opened a mirror door. Inside the shelves were shoe boxes. Were the shoes still in them? Sure enough, the boxes on a middle shelf still had quite stylish shoes. Could I give these to them? She reached for a box on the bottom shelf, her ears perking when she heard jangling in it. That wasn’t a pair of shoes. Inside was a stash of Sparkle-Cola caps.

Just then, Haze felt a tug at her wing and was pulled away from the door. Orange magic placed the lid back on the box. Chance was glaring at Haze.

“Those are mine!” He hissed.

“Why do you have a cap stash here?” Haze wondered.

“Because… I can’t let my gang find them! They already know how I barter… and have already taken caps from me. Better to have them where they won’t know.”

“Speaking of your gang; aren’t they gonna be suspicious you’ve been away for awhile?” Haze questioned.

“They’re used to me being away for days at a time,” Chance said with what sounded like disappointment. “I just say I was out looking for my mom.”

“Well, this time, it’s going to be true! You’re going to tell them, right?”

“I don’t know.” Chance stared at the floor.

“Isn’t it better to tell them the truth?” Ray spoke up. “I mean, they can’t really stop you, can they?”

“I guess not. I just… I’m considering leaving them altogether, but at the same time, I’m scared to,” Chance admitted. 

“Don’t worry, you won’t be alone,” Ray told him. “We’re with you!” 

Haze nodded in agreement. 


After they chose what to take from the supply stach, they gathered around the long dining room table. SilverFlash had prepared a late lunch for them. Chance and Ray were already eating, but SwiftHaze just stared at her plate of pasta. 

“Are you sure it’s okay to eat? I mean where did you get this stuff from?” Haze questioned cautiously. 

“The pasta was stored dry,” Flash explained. “Dry stuff doesn’t go bad.”

“And the green thingies?”

“Broccoli. Frozen.”

“And the sauce?” Haze lifted a brow.

“Jarred and preserved.”

“It’s really good!” Ray remarked.

“It won’t make you sick, I promise.” Flash said.

Haze was hungry enough to take the risk. She slowly dipped her muzzle and took a bite. It was good, salty, but still good. “It tastes great!”

“I’m glad, because, well, I can’t taste it myself. I just go off memory when making food,” Flash stated.

“You can’t taste anything?” Haze asked.

Flash shook his head. “Side effect of ghoulification.” He sighed.

“Do you ever eat?” Ray said, looking up from her plate.

“Sometimes. Don’t need to eat as much as I used to.”

“Echo told me some ghouls survive on radiation alone,” Haze recalled.

“That is true.”

Haze felt bad for ghouls. They didn’t really need to eat, nor could find any pleasure in it without taste. She continued to eat for herself, glad that she wasn’t a ghoul. 

“Oh! Can I play some music?” Ray asked.

But she didn’t even wait for permission. She kept skipping through songs on her PipBuck, playing without earbuds. Haze recognized most of them. They were all the beginnings of Linkin Pony songs. How appropriate, Haze thought. Ray finally stopped on one. The keyboard and string intro was familiar to Haze. Before the song could open into the verse, Flash’s magic shut off her PipBuck’s volume.

“No.”

“What? Why?” Ray whined.

“Because it makes him upset,” Chance answered for the ghoul.

“Huh? How do you know that?” Haze challenged. “I’m pretty sure you’re not Flash.”

“Because I know some songs make him upset, okay?” Chance defended.

“Some lyrics can be quite difficult to listen to,” Flash clarified. He sounded apologetic.

Haze pondered that for a moment. She didn’t always pay too much attention to lyrics, except for those she related to. She thought of the song Ray had started playing, “Leave Out All The Rest.” What in it would upset Flash? When you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory. Was he thinking of the singer, HyperBlitz, or perhaps his brother?

“Oh,” Ray let out. “Is there any song I can play?”

“Probably best not to play any Linkin Pony with Flash around,” Chance told her. “Just to be safe.”

“Do you know any of their songs?” Ray wondered, now smiling.

“I’ve heard a few.” Chance shrugged, then continued eating. 

Haze didn’t like the awkward tension in the room. “Um, we could change the subject.”

“To what?” Flash questioned.

“I know. Can you tell me what the Ministries are? I keep seeing and hearing about them,” Haze requested.

“The Ministries were government offices that aided in the war effort,” Chance said eagerly.

Flash glared at him before he could go any further. “Chance, I know you know all about Equestrian history, but don’t you think they should hear from someone who was actually there?”

“Okay,” Chance murmured meekly.

Flash continued, “As Chance said, they were offices, or organizations, commissioned under Princess Luna’s government during the war. They all had their own purposes in aiding and ending the war. Well, except for the Ministry of Awesome, I suppose.”

Haze let out a snort. “Ministry of Awesome?”

“Yeah, that was a thing. As far as I know, they didn’t contribute much,” Flash said.

“Okay, okay,” Haze composed herself. “I’ve heard of the Ministry of Morale, Peace, and Image. Were there any others? Besides Awesome.”

“Yes. There was the Ministry of Arcane Sciences and the Ministry of Wartime Technology.”

“Did you know anyone who worked for the Ministries?” Haze questioned.

“Did any of the Linkin Ponies work for them?” Ray added.

“Yes,” Flash replied. “A fair portion of them worked with the Ministry of Peace. SpinningNote worked for the Ministry of Science. My nephew worked for the Ministry of Image.”

“Um, speaking of Spinning,” Chance brought up, sounding guilty. “The girls need a spark battery, and I was going to see if Spinning would let us borrow one.”

Flash’s eyes widened. “Spinning? Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“No, it’s alright. I think I can convince him to give me one. Besides, didn’t you want to check on Sierra?”

“Yeah…” Flash was still contemplating Chance’s move. 

“We’re going to stop by Echo’s to get our stuff tomorrow. Why don’t we meet there after we get our spark battery?” Haze suggested.

“Well, if you're certain,” Flash said, still looking at Chance, uncertain.

“I got this,” Chance confirmed with as much confidence as he could manage. “We’ll leave early so we can get there with enough time to hopefully make it back to Stable 47 before dark.”


For the rest of the day SwiftHaze aimlessly wandered around the mansion. She had found another set of memory orbs, and decided she’d match some later.

When she peeked in the studio, OrchidRays was still in there. She was watching a video on the computer screen. It was of CharmingRhythm and HyperBlitz, who looked much younger than they did in the photo’s Haze had seen. They appeared to be in the process of writing music, but were having fun and laughing together. The video was shot more like a movie than a home recording, which was strange to Haze. Were these videos filmed as entertainment for fans?

In the living room. GleamingChance was reading something. Haze had noticed the home was cluttered with books on bookshelves. Someone who lived here really liked books. Flash had informed Haze that it was his sister-in-law, Heartfelt, who had a love of reading.

Passing through a hallway, Haze spotted more photos. One was a family photo of CharmingRhythm, the mint green mare, which Haze guessed was Heartfelt, and three younger Unicorns. They must have been their children. There were foal photos of their kids too, including the two teal colored twins. 

Then Haze found more ponies in the photos she hadn’t seen before. One photo, which was a lower quality, perhaps older, displayed a grey Unicorn stallion and a blue Unicorn mare. Their coat colors reminded Haze of Rhythm and Flash. Were these their parents? 

Suddenly, she realized there was no photo of Flash to be found. Did he take them down himself? Why would he take photos of himself down?  There was even a photo of Rhythm standing with his bandmates, but none of his brother. Maybe there were some somewhere else in the house.

Now Haze stood on a balcony, overlooking the suburbs on the hillside below. Behind her was one of the guest rooms Flash had offered. Somewhere in the distance were gunshots. There never seemed to be an end to the shots that rang out. Haze wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep with the noise. Should she be concerned about the shots? She wasn’t even sure how close they were.

She sought to distract herself from the outside, and stepped back in the room. She picked an orb from the memory orb box she had found. This one was labeled “Heartfelt.” With the recollector on her head, she sat on her bed and entered into the orb. The shots outside silenced, and the bed faded from her senses.

First, Haze felt sunlight on her fur. It was very bright, brighter than any day in Stable 47’s orchard. It was quite hot too, and not that stuffy, humid kind of hot. The air was dry, but luckily Haze’s host was wearing something light, perhaps a sundress.

Before Haze and her host was a tall building made mostly of glass windows, which reflected the sunlight. They peered up for a moment, and Haze was sure she’d have vertigo if she was in her own body. The buildings beside it were even larger. Their vision rested back at eye level as they walked. There was a small sign above the double doors that read “Ministry of Image, Los Pegasus Hub.” It wasn’t flashy, just large enough to inform the ponies passing through.

Just ahead of Haze’s host was a sky blue stallion. As he looked over his shoulder, Haze recognized him from the photo in Rhythm’s home. He was around the same age he was in that photo, too, maybe Haze’s age. His black and brown mane was neatly combed, and he wore a tan suit this time. He was looking at Haze and her host with big, brown eyes. 

“You know you didn’t have to come with me,” he said to them.

“I know, but I wanted to support you,” Haze felt her host say. She was definitely a mare. “You’re being inducted into Los Pegasus’s Ministry of Image council! How could I not come?”

The blue Unicorn smiled, bringing out his cute cheeks. “I appreciate that. I know dad would have come too if he wasn’t touring.”

They kept walking forward. Haze’s host spoke again, “We’re very proud of you.”

“I know, Mom,” the stallion replied at a low volume.

Just before the door, the young stallion turned around again, a hoof against the glass. “I’m not sure if they’ll let you in or not.”

“I’m sure they would at least let me in the lobby,” his mother assured. Heartfelt?

The stallion didn’t reply. Instead his gaze drifted off to the right. Haze and her host turned her head around to follow his gaze. Between two buildings a vehicle was floating their way. A Pegasus was pulling it at the front. Was that a sky chariot? With hooves shuffling, Haze felt her body fully face the other direction. It was a few moments before the Pegasus touched down.

The door on the side opened downward, creating a ramp. A white Unicorn trotted out onto the sidewalk. She wore a frazzled expression along with her makeup. It was the pretty curly maned Unicorn which Haze had also seen in the photo. She was quite older than she remembered, and bore strands of grey in her mane. 

“Oh dear, I’m fashionably late again, aren’t I?” she fussed.

“Rarity?” The sky blue stallion said from behind his mother. “I thought you were already here.” He was gaping. Heartfelt’s eyes were wide too, as if from astonishment. This was clearly an important pony in front of them.

Rarity stepped past Haze’s vision to face the young stallion. “I had some business to attend to, which ended up taking more time than I would have liked,” she explained. “But if you are just coming in, that means I’m not too late for the meeting I suppose.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes,” the younger Unicorn replied.

“What a relief,” Rarity exhaled. “Oh, and it is quite nice meeting you again, darling,” she told the blue Unicorn. Her blue eyes peered in Haze’s direction. “And you would be…?”

“This is my mom, Heartfelt,” said the stallion.

“Oh, well, it’s nice meeting you then. GentleSketch is quite talented. You must be so proud of him.” Rarity dipped her head politely. 

“I am,” Heartfelt smiled. 

“What caused you to come here in such a rush?” GentleSketch asked Rarity.

“Oh, some dilemma in Old Olneigh. I can’t really speak much of it now.” Rarity glanced at Heartfelt. “I will explain at the meeting.”

“Sounds like I should go,” Heartfelt said. “It’s great meeting you, Rarity. And… thank you for the opportunity you’ve given Sketch.”

“Well of course, darling,” Rarity gave a pleasant smile. 

GentleSketch briskly hopped over to Heartfelt and hugged her with one foreleg. “See you later, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Heartfelt responded.

Heartfelt stood where she was and watched the two Unicorns trot into the glass double doors. The memory was beginning to fade. 

Once she came back to her own body, Haze collected the information she was given. Who was Rarity? She was obviously important. Was she the head of the Ministry of Image? How did GentleSketch end up in such high ranks of a government office? 

Haze picked up her head and realized she was feeling quite sleepy now. She took the recollector off and placed it on the nightstand. There were still gunshots in the distance, but she decided to try to drown them out with music. She put her earbuds in and scrolled through her PipBuck.

For some reason, she felt drawn to listening to “Leave Out All The Rest.” She wanted to closely listen to the lyrics this time. Perhaps that was something she should do for more songs. The lyrics filled her with sadness and grief of ponies she’d never even met, nor lived in her lifetime. 

When SwiftHaze first left the Stable, she didn’t think much of her connection to HyperBlitz. Now, she realized, she was beginning to form a bond with her ancestor. It was a strange feeling, one she couldn’t describe in words. Maybe she was just paying her respects, and she did want to, after all. She wanted to learn more about HyperBlitz and his family. In the meantime, she listened to some more Linkin Pony while she drifted to sleep.