//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Fallout Equestria: War Never Changes // by jarmari //------------------------------// Chapter 15: We rode out of town an hour later. It had only taken CB half that time to master the concussion spell and the other half perfecting her aim. She had proudly demonstrated this when we first got outside the town and she took out a bloat sprite that was so far away my EFS didn't even register it yet. Now we were heading away from the town and even further still from the medical center. CB sat on my back, a book on magic floating in front of her. The same book I had read, written by Twilight Sparkle, with all the magic she had learned over the years and the most helpful spells. It's how I had learned cloud walking and the ability to use cloud computers. CB would make excited noises every now and then and I could feel her tense on my back with excitement. "Okay okay. I need to try this..." She hopped off my back and we paused. "Alright." She set the book down and reread it quickly, then closed her eyes, her horn glowing green and in a flash she vanished, reappearing in front of Brutus, making him cry out in surprise and fall back on his haunches, making the rest of us burst out laughing. "That's AWESOME!" CB giggled, dancing back and fourth, her horn glowing again and she vanished, reappearing by the book. "CB that's great." Crackshot said. "That could be extremely helpful. Reaching places we couldn't otherwise, bypassing locked doors, getting out of danger..." The little filly just nodded with excitement and teleported back onto my back, making me buckle for a moment before I compensated for the extra weight. "Warn me next time you do that..." I sighed, looking back at her and she just smiled sheepishly. When I turned my head my EFS swept across the horizon with me and I paused when I saw an indicator appear behind us, just blinking into range. It was Lily's custom indicator. Apparently she'd seen fit to follow us. "CB, why don't you ride with Brutus for a while?" I asked, getting looks from the others. "Ruby and I just need to talk." This got even more confused looks from the adults and conspiratorial giggling from CB. "SUUUURE, TALK..." CB giggled, getting down and moving to stand with Brutus. "I promise we'll catch up." "Alright..." Brutus said, looking from me to Ruby and back again before turning and starting down the road. Ruby moved to stand with me and then followed me as I started back the way we'd come. "Lily is following us." I said softly to her. "What? Are you sure?" "Yeah..." We reached the top of a hill and came face to face with the indicator on my pipbuck. Or rather face to helmet... "Mare-Do-Well?" Ruby asked, looking at the power armour covered pony. "Oh good I was afraid it'd take longer to catch up to your group. I heard from ponies in town you were going out to meet with the zebras in the cave and I thought you might want an extra gun along." I just glared at her quietly and, even with the armour, she seemed thrown. "Did I assume wrong?" She asked, stepping back at bit. "Seriously?" I asked flatly. "Seriously what?" She asked. "Lily..." I said simply and she took another step back. "I'm sorry?" "Lily come on." I rolled my eyes and Ruby looked at her curiously. "I marked you as a high priority target in my pipbuck so that you wouldn't be able to fool me again by changing. You might fool my eyes but not Stable-Tech computers." She sighs and slumps a little, her helmet hissed and slid open, down around her neck, revealing Lily's face, minus her horn. She flashed green a moment and the horn reappeared. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Ruby snapped. "YOU'RE MARE-DO-WELL?! Firebird would KILL YOU if she knew." Lily flinched back and blushed, looking down at the ground sheepishly. "SHE ALREADY KNOWS!" Ruby cried and Lily just nodded gently. "AND SHE LETS YOU GO OUT AND DO THIS?!" "It's not that simple..." Lily said quietly. "Hey hey hey!" I said quickly before Ruby could start up again. "Give her a chance to explain." I pushed between them and Ruby stomped back. "Explain FAST." She snapped. Lily sighed and sat down. "There's a whole group of us." She started. "There's...two dozen Mare-Do-Wells across the Wasteland. "It's...it's an inherited title..." Ruby's eyes went wide and she stomped back over to Lily. "So Firebird is a Mare-Do-Well too?" Lily just nodded. "She was the MDW we came across in Clopton wasn't she?" I asked and Lily nodded again. "How do you know that?" Ruby asked. "Remember she commented on our relationship? Said we made a nice couple?" "And Firebird is a hopeless romantic." Ruby sighed. "Who was the first MDW that Crackshot and I met?" I asked. "When we got jumped going to the Ammo Foundry?" "A buck named Daredevil." She said. "He was the one that told us about you Cane. He's the reason we started popping up so much in your life. To make sure you weren't a threat to Ruby and the others." "You were the one in the hospital?" I asked. "I was. I'm sorry for what I put you through with the Rosalea simulation. Ruby told me how much it upset you and I felt terrible that I couldn't apologize for it." I looked at Ruby and even though she was still very clearly annoyed with the whole thing she was also moved by her cousin's sadness and apologetic nature. "Alright fine." Ruby said finally. "But we're having a serious talk about this with Firebird when we get back." Lily smiled and stood up again. "Yes ma'am." She nodded. "Alright well lets get going, we're falling too far behind the others." I said. Lily nodded again and her helmet came up and started to slide shut, her horn flashing away again as the helmet slid back into place. "You're not going to tell them right?" "Tell them what?" Ruby asked and Lily laughed softly. /////////// After a quick run we caught up with the others. Seeing Mare-Do-Well Brutus and Crackshot both understood the fact that I had picked her up on my EFS. CB, on the other hoof, looked like her head was going to explode at the sight of the super hero. She scrambled over to us and stood in front of Mare-Do-Well, studying her intently, with a look of wonder on her face. "Are you really Mare-Do-Well?" She asked softly. "I am." She nodded. "Why're you here?" "I was going to meet with the same Zebra you're going to see and I came across Ruby and Cane on the road." "Were they making out? Was it gross?" "They were and it was." Lily replied and CB burst out laughing. We continued on towards the mountains, CB pelting Lily with questions about everything from her armour to her weapons to bad guys she'd fought to how many ponies she'd saved...and amazingly Lily had answers for all of them. She was just as excited to talk to CB as CB was to talk to her. She obviously had to really restrain herself to not blow her cover. When we got close to the cave everyone got quiet and CB fell back to stand with Brutus. "We should go first." Lily said, nudging me forward. "We have pipbucks." I nodded and we moved toward the cave entrance. I brought out Ebony and Ivory and spun them slowly in my magic field, the indicators lighting up after a moment. "Those are nice." Lily said softly, probably trying to break the tension a little. "Rosa made em." I smiled. "She seems like she was very nice." "She was. I miss her every day." I sighed. The cave curved sharply a short distance inside so it got very dark very fast. I turned on the flashlight on my pipbuck and lit my horn. Lily's pipbuck was covered by the armour on her leg but the eyes on her helmet lit up brightly. We came to a large chamber, none of our lights could even reach the roof. "Oh I can fix this." CB said, stepping up beside me. Before I could warn her against getting too close her horn lit up brightly and a ball of energy fired off the end, rising into the air and glowing like a small sun, lighting up the whole chamber, a small magical thread running from the light back to CB's horn. A dozen tunnels ran off in different directions, boulders lay all around the area. I realized, seemingly at the same instant as Lily, that there was a zebra colt standing on a boulder in the middle of the room. He wore a battle saddle with a very old shotgun resting in it. "Don't move!" He ordered, cocking the shotgun. CB gasped softly and pressed against me. "He's cute..." She whispered. I looked back at her in amazement for a moment but she had slipped behind me. "We're not looking for trouble, we just want to talk." Lily said, stepping forward. He bit down on the saddle control and unloaded the shotgun into the ground in front of her. "The next one goes into your face." He snapped, knocking the shotgun to reload it. When he cocked the gun again though I heard a very distinct sound, one I had heard hundreds of times in Rosa's lab, usually followed by a frustrated cry and a crashing noise. It was the sound of the firing pin in the shotgun snapping. "Please listen." I said, stepping forward now, lowering my pistols and sliding them back into their holsters. "We're not looking for trouble. We're looking for your grandfather?" He bit down on the trigger but there was just a CLICK and nothing more. He looked at the gun in terror and leaped back. "Please wait. We're just here to talk! We're trying to find the Pyros that attacked your village." He paused and looked back at us slowly. "Really?" "Yes, we don't want to hurt you or your grandfather. We just need information about some Zebra glyphs we found in these masks we took from the Pyros that attacked our home." Ruby explained, pulling one of the masks out of her pack. He came over slowly and Ruby tossed the mask to him. It landed on the floor a few feet from him and he looked at it curiously. "It looks like his work yes." CB grabbed it in her magic field and floated it into the air. "It has these funny symbols in it." She turned the mask to him so he could see the glyph inside. He looked at them then smiled softly, blushing a little and nods. "Yeah it's one of his. Adaptive control glyphs are his specialty." CB floated the mask back over to Ruby. Ruby looked at it and giggled softly as she took it from CB's magical grasp and put it away again. "Alright." The zebra sighed. "Wait here and I'll go get him." "Hey!" CB ran forward quickly. "Uhh...what's your name?" She asked sheepishly. "Oh. I'm Xem." He smiled, blushing again. "Nice to meet you." CB said, grinning in kind. "I'm Concussive Blast, but you can call me CB." "Uhh CB honey there's time to make introductions when his grandfather gets here too." Crackshot said. "Oh oh right." CB nodded, backing away. "Sorry." He nodded and hurried off down a tunnel and out of sight. "10 caps says he doesn't come back." Crackshot said. "Nah I think he'll come back." Ruby said, settling down against a wall. "CB, come here." She patted the ground beside her and the filly walked over and sat beside her. The two fell into a quiet conversation that involved a lot of giggling and gasping and blushing. "Mares are weird." Brutus said, shaking his head. "No offense." He added, looking at Lily. "Assuming you're actually a mare under there." "I'm whatever you want me to be big guy." She replied, her voice synthesizer dropping as she did, and I couldn't help bursting out laughing. "You are." Crackshot said, joining us and looking curiously at the armoured changling. "You're a lot more relaxed than you've been in the past." "Just getting comfortable with you is all." She shrugged. "Crackshot she's here to help, and she's never been anything BUT helpful, you don't need to be suspicious." I said. "We don't know who she is, what kind of secret agenda she might have!" "Whoa whoa whoa." I said quickly, putting my forelegs up defensively. "Where's all this suspicion and hostility coming from all the sudden?" "Well she always happens to be around when the Pyros are involved! Nopony cares that much about others in this world. She JUST HAPPENED to be in Clopton, she showed up at the hospital after we were attacked, now we're going to meet with the zebra who apparently made the Pyro control masks and she shows up AGAIN." "The stable dweller does." Brutus countered getting a death glare from the ghoul. "The stable dweller is over hyped. She doesn't do half what DJ Pon 3 claims." Lily said. "Wow way to poke holes in an argument in your favor." Brutus sighed. "Look I don't care what you say there's something suspicious about her." Crackshot said. "Nopony cares about anypony else that much unless their family and I don't see any other pegasi in power armour so you gotta have some other reason to be 'helping' us." "Crackshot come on..." I started, stepping between them again but got shoved out of the way for my trouble. "Hey now." Brutus started but he got a smack in the face. "Oh for Celestia's sake..." Lily snapped and stood up. Her body glowed and a force field shot up around us, obscuring anyone else outside of the field from seeing in. "How'd you do that?" Crackshot asked, falling back from her spot in front of Lily. Her helmet hissed and slid open to reveal the changling inside, who was glaring death at Crackshot. "Happy now you old pile of rot?" She snapped, looking like she might cry. "L...Lilith...You're Mare-Do-Well?" Crackshot stammered. Brutus was fairly shocked too but kept his mouth shut. "Why didn't you tell us?" "It's a SECRET identity you moron." She hissed, standing up and turning away from Crackshot. "I've done nothing but go out of my way to protect you guys, MY FAMILY, if I'd known about the Pyro attack I'd have been at that base so fast your head would have spun." Crackshot looked from her to Brutus, then to me, her shock fading she saw I didn't share it. "And just how long have YOU known about this?" She demanded. "Uhh about 30 minutes." I sighed. "When I stopped Ruby on the road it as because I picked up Lily's unique identifier on my pipbuck." "She has a UNIQUE identifier?" Brutus asked. "Yeah, after I first met her I didn't want her to transform and sneak up on me again so I tagged her with a unique objective marker, now I know who she is no matter what she looks like. You can fool my eyes and ears, but not the Pipbuck." "So please...can we just drop it now?" Lily asked, looking more humiliated than I assumed something like this warranted. "Yeah I think so. I'm sorry I forced your hoof like that Lily." Crackshot said. She was about to continue but the privacy barrier warped and shattered and CB leaped through where it had been, her horn glowing. "WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!" She demanded, whipping around and glaring at all of us, pausing when she realized Lily was sitting there, and in Mare-Do-Well's armour. "Oh come on." Lily groaned, covering her face with her forelegs. "Lily?" CB lit up and tackled her in a big hug. "This is so awesome you don't even know! You're Mare-Do-Well? That is SO COOL! I mean you were cool before but you're...you're at least 20% cooler now!" “Well now that the whole world knows...” Lily sighed. “Look you guys can't tell anyone alright? Mom would KILL me if she found out I'd blown my cover.” “Your mother knows?” Crackshot asked. “Yeah she's a Mare-Do-Well too...” “Wow, quiet unassuming Firebird...shouldn't be surprised I guess.” Brutus sighed. “Yeah so can we just drop it and move on now?” Lily asked, her helmet sliding closed again to cover up her annoyed and anguished face. “CB, you can't tell anyone.” “I promise.” The filly nodded quickly. “Pinkie Pie promise.” Crackshot said. “I...what?” CB tilted her head back and looked at the ghoul curiously. “Cross your heart...” Crackshot said. “Cross my heart.” “Hope to fly.” CB looked at her like she was crazy but repeated, “Hope to fly.” “Stick a cupcake in your eye.” I finished, making the filly all the more confused. “Stick a cupcake in my eye.” She said. “Is this some old pony thing?” “Yeah it's some old pony thing.” Crackshot nodded. “It means you have to keep your promise FOREVER.” “Yeah but...” She started to argue but I cut in. “FOREVVVVERRRR.” Crackshot and I both loomed over CB and she cowered back against Lily. “F...forever.” She agreed, crawling over Lily's armoured form to put it between her and us. Crackshot and I both started laughing and CB looked confused and annoyed. The mirth was short lived because two indicators appeared on my EFS, Lily's too from the way she shot back to her feet. “They're coming.” Lily said, turning towards the door. She kept CB behind her just in case there were any problems, but Xem emerged from the tunnel a moment later, helping a zebra along who looked far older than I'd have expected anyone to live to in the wasteland. He walked to one of the boulders and sat against it, resting heavily against it before looking at our group and sighing deeply before finally speaking. “Hello ponies, how do you do? I am Xeha, and who are you?” I looked at the others for a moment before I stepped forward. “Hello Xeha, I'm Sugarcane, this is Brute Force, Ruby Star, Crackshot, Concussive Blast and Mare-Do-Well.” I gestured to each one in turn as I spoke their names. "Ah Sugarcane, Venture's brother from the past, your trials have been long I'm surprised that you last.” “You know about me? What did my brother tell you? Why did you work for him?” I had to stop myself from getting too worked up. I was glad to finally have a lead and I didn't want to get too carried away. “These answers I have, these answers and more, ask anything you want, not one I'll ignore.” “Did you make these?” Ruby asked, pulling the masks out again and putting it down for Zeha to look at. “These masks are mine, this much is true. I suspect you next want to know how the masks control you?” “Yes please.” Ruby nodded, taking out her tablet to take notes. “Sugarcane would you hold this please? Unicorn magic shows the glyphs, allowing me to read them with ease.” He asked. “Of course.” I nodded, floating the mask up in my magical grip to allow him to look at it. “A male unicorn you are, this much I could tell, and that red female pegasi cause your heart to swell.” He smiled at Ruby and she blushed deeply. “Being young and so fit, the mask it does say, you are to take what you want and let nothing stand in your way. A glyph for rage, a glyph for lust, your body will burn with anger and tell you to mate, you must.” “What about the glyph on the left?” Ruby asked. “I couldn't translate that one.” “Magical prowess is what this one means, Sugarcane is good with magic but not amazing it seems.” “I'm really good with magic.” CB volunteered before any of us could stop her. “Are you my dear? Well isn't that neat? Would you care to show me a wondrous, magical feat?” She broke into a big grin and closed her eyes, ignoring Brutus's protests that she should wait until we were outside. Magic wrapped around her whole body and she floated into the air for a moment before she flipped upside down and soared up to the roof, landing admit the stalactites gracefully. “When did you learn to do that?” Ruby asked, flying into the air, floating in front of the upside down filly. “It was in the magic book.” She grinned proudly. “It's not like I could use it outside, I'd float away!” “Ah little pony, so young and so wise. I'm sure your pegasus friend would have saved you from the skies.” Xeha smiled. CB glowed again for a moment and floated back down to the floor, landing beside me and leaning against my side. “How do you like them apples?” “Not as much as the apples from when I was little.” I smirked and Crackshot nodded. “Little filly, if you would be so kind, take the mask from your father so I can read you, if he doesn't mind.” CB looked at me quietly for a moment, a pained look in her eyes but she let out a slow breath and it vanished. “He's not my father, he's just my guardian.” She took the mask from my magical grip and held it up to Xeha again. “A unicorn mare, that much I can see, but with no drive for the love of a pony. A zebra you'd like, a male of my race...” He paused and laughed. “The cave almost glows from the blush on my grandson's face.” Both children got flustered and embarrassed and Xeha took a moment to compose himself again. “As you are a child the mask seeks to oppress. Your freewill and happiness it will strongly suppress. The glyph of magic, it glows oh so bright, it shines with the power and the strength of Twilight.” CB looked at him in confusion but he continued before she could speak up. “I can give you a list of all the glyphs that can show, that way when you find a new one you will always be in the know.” “That would be great.” Ruby nodded, tapping away quickly on the tablet to record all the information she'd gotten. “Why did you agree to help Venture and his Pyros?” Brutus asked. "The Pyros, one night, came to my village. With hate in their hearts, to loot and to pillage. The pony who lead them, half crystal, half corn; burned and killed, leaving dozens to mourn. They demanded my help, to craft something that would sway, to turn others into allies that before had been prey." “The pyro that lead them, he was a dirty red unicorn?” Brutus asked. “Xekron is his name, half crystal half unicorn, it can be seen in his mane.” “So the leader of the Pyros is named Xekron and he's half crystal pony? I didn't even know there were any crystal ponies left.” Crackshot said. “When the war really escalated the crystal ponies mostly withdrew back into the crystal kingdom. Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armour took up full protection duties of the kingdom and cut ties to the rest of Equestria.” I explained. “I don't know what might have happened with them after I was frozen to now but that's the last thing I heard was happening.” “He killed most all the children, he is a terrible buck...” Xem interrupted before Xeha could continue. “Yes grandfather we understand, but they don't give a fuck.” He said, gesturing to us. “Hey now, any information we can get is helpful.” Ruby said. “We had nothing before we came here, you've been a bigger help than I could have hoped for.” “Ruby, my child, come sit and I'll teach, from anger to wild, the glyphs in my reach.” She nodded and moved to sit with the old zebra and Brutus stepped up beside me. “We still don't know what we're going to do from here...” “We'll figure that out when we head back to town.” Crackshot said. “Should we check out the remains of their village?” Lily asked. “If the Pyros just razed it there might not be much but they tend to set up bases around captured areas.” “Umm Xem is going to show me around the cave.” CB said, looking up at me with a nonchalant gaze, though I could see the excitement in her eyes. “I suppose. But stay close and come back quickly, we don't know how long it's going to be before we head back and we don't want to have to come looking for you.” She squeed and nodded happily. “Sure, of course, we'll be back in a bit.” She grabbed the hapless zebra in her magical grasp and hauled him along down the tunnel. We sat and talked for a while longer, deciding the best course of action would be to return to town for the night and then go to the zebra village and look for more clues. An hour passed and Lily finally stood again, tucking her tablet away in her pack again. “Alright, I have about as complete a listing of zebra glyphs we could ever hope for.” CB and Xem had returned 15 or so minutes earlier and were sitting together against a far wall, reading through the magic book and giggling to each other, CB occasionally setting the book down and trying out a spell, with varying success. She had just managed to turn a stone into an orange and floated it over to me. “What do you think? I've never seen an orange so I don't know how close this is.” I took the orange from her. “Well it looks like an orange...” I held it close and sniffed the peel. “It smells like an orange...” I cut into the peel with my magic and peeled it away, revealing...a rock... “Well it was close.” I smiled. I squeezed the rock and was amazed to see juice pour out of it onto the ground. “I'll try to help you with it when we get home and we'll see if you can master it.” “Sugarcane, a word if I may? Your departure I do not wish to delay.” “Of course.” I said, walking over and sitting with Xeha. Ruby was picking up the mask and putting it away again and CB was showing the others another attempt to turn a rock into an orange. “I've a request I wish to make, my grandson I'm hoping along you will take. My end comes soon, I'm not long for this life, and I wish to spare him the pain and the strife.” “Uhh...well I don't have a problem with it, but Brutus is the leader, it's really up to him.” “The boss he is, but the leader you are, you are the reason they've gotten so far.” “I have to talk to the others, I can't make a decision like that unilaterally.” I got up and moved towards my friends. “Xemnas my boy, come sit at my side, I wish to speak quickly while the others decide.” Xem looked at his grandfather curiously but walked over and sat down beside him without question. “What's wrong?” Ruby asked, looking from the zebras to me. “Xeha wants us to take Xem with us when we leave. He says he's dying and he doesn't want to leave his grandson alone.” “We don't know that we can trust them.” “They've been nothing but helpful so far, they don't have any love for Venture and his Pyros, and we can't just leave him alone to fend for himself when his grandfather dies.” “Please Brutus?” CB asked, giving him her best big sad eyes. “What if you'd just left me all alone after my mom had died?” Ooo she had him, no chance he'd say no... He sighed deeply and nodded. “Okay, you're right. We'll take him with us.” “Thank you!” CB giggled, hugging him tightly. “Yeah yeah, lemme go!” Brutus gasped, squirming free of the filly's grip. Xem didn't look pleased with what his grandfather had said to him but he just sat and watched us curiously. “He can come with us.” Brutus said and though Xeha looked relieved Xem didn't look pleased all the same, though he smiled at CB when he saw her excitement. “Ruby and Cane, before you two go, I've one more thing I would like to show.” “Alright?” Ruby said, walking over to Xeha and helped him to his hooves. Xeha started out of the room and into the tunnel that he and Xem had originally come through. He leaned on Ruby this time and we walked in silence for a time until we came to a smaller cavern that had two beds and some basic gem powered cooking pieces. “I've a little more to give you, if that is alright, it's not much true, but it might help in the fight.” He moved slowly to a locker and opened it, pulling out a pair of computer hard drives. “I stole these from the base, on my way out the door, I don't know if they will help, as there were hundreds more.” “These came right from Venture's base?” I asked, floating them up and examining them to make sure they were still usable. “And there were hundreds more? He must have a massive computer system, I wonder what for.” Ruby giggled and I looked at her curiously. “You're talking in rhyme you silly corn, I betcha those hard drives are just full of porn.” Xeha smirked a little. “You've much to learn of speaking in rhyme, it just takes practice and a lot of time.” He also pulled out a small lock box and a blanket from the locker. “These also will be of help, the amulet especially for such a young whelp.” He pulled an amulet from the lock box and set it down. It looked like it was made of silver and was inlaid with a rainbow of gems. “Your magical power it will increase, to a level without cease, but you must beware, your magical strength it can impair, to a point of no repair.” “So it can make my magic stronger, but it can burn out my magic if I amp it up too much?” I asked and he nodded. I lifted the amulet into the air and saw the gems light up in response to the energy that surrounded it. I slipped it around my neck and slid it down under my armour so it rested between the armour and my body. It was warm to the touch. “And finally this.” Xeha said, gesturing to the blanket. “An heirloom itself, for wedded bliss. Worry and confusion it removes, love and passion it will infuse. It is meant for Xem on his wedding night, and for him to never get it, I wouldn't feel right. When two are in love, perhaps shy or still new, this blanket will give them problems few. Just lay down beneath with your loving bequeathed, fire and lust will fill both to their peak. Use it yourselves in the meantime if you so wish...” He leaned in closer to me. “That pegasus mare is really a dish.” He whispered loudly and I burst out laughing. “We'll hold onto it until Xem gets married and we'll give it to him.” Ruby said, ignoring the comments and taking the blanket and putting it into her pack. “Thank you sweet mare, I can rest without despair, knowing when he needs it, the gift will be there.” Xeha lifted himself slowly into the bed and lay back, closing his eyes. “These bones are so sore, I hope you don't mind if we speak no more. I am so tired, I just need some rest, tell Xem I said goodbye and give him my best.” He drew a deep breath and grew still, the breath slipping out slowly, like a tired sigh, and he was gone. Ruby gasped softly and sobbed, leaning against me. I wrapped a leg around her and held her close. “Come on Ruby, we should go.” I said quietly and she nodded. “D...Do we just leave him like this?” She asked. I was going to suggest we could bury him outside when I heard a soft beeping. With Xeha's laboured breathing gone I could only just barely hear it. I looked inside the locker at the end of his bed and discovered a rather large bomb inside. It had just under 30 minutes and was ticking down slowly. “Oh my...we should really go.” I said quickly, grabbing Ruby and hurrying out. “He's well taken care of.” “Wait what?” She asked as I dragged her down the tunnel. “He's got a rather large bomb set to go off. I'm guessing he started it when he pulled out the blanket.” “Oh shit.” She pulled away from me and hurried on under her own power. “Come on everyone it's time we go.” I announced as we returned to the main cavern. “Wait where is my grandfather?” Xem asked, standing up from his spot beside CB. “He's resting.” Ruby said. “He told us to just go on from here.” Xem looked sadly towards the tunnel we'd just come from but nodded and put away the few things he'd taken out of his own pack and in only a few moments we were heading out of the cave and back towards town. When the timer must have finally run out we were well away from the cave, but we still heard the WHOOMP as it went off, a massive dust cloud bursting up from the mountain side and a surprisingly large portion collapsing down around the entrance area. Xem looked back and sobbed quietly. CB looked back sadly and wrapped him in a hug, holding him close. We all just walked along quietly in front of them, giving them as much space as we could. Crackshot still brought up the rear, giving them just as much space. It was a long quiet walk back to town... Footnote: 25% to next level This fanfiction is based on Fallout Equestria by Kkat; a familiarity with the source material may aid your understanding. You can read Fallout Equestria by Kkat on Equestria Daily The Fallout: Equestria logo used above was designed by DotRook, who, according to the original deviantArt page, allows usage in supplementary materials created for and associated with the series. Images really do make a difference, so he has our eternal gratitude and respect. If you enjoy Fallout Equestria Side Stories, you will want to check the Fallout Equestria Side Stories post on Equestria Daily and the Fallout Equestria Side Stories thread on Ponychan The Ponychan group is also a hatching ground that you can join if you want to share your experience, writing or comments with us.