She felt terrible, her head pounding, her stomach churning like it was being tied in knots. She winced as the needle punctured her side, gritting her teeth and taking the pain. It was all worth it, all worth it...

“You taking too many drugs, you know thiss. Detox becoming harder and harder, too much for you to take.”

Steel Marrow glared angrily, withdrawing the needle and discarding it into the sharps bin before loping over to a nearby cupboard and collecting up all the supplies for the morning’s routine. Fluttershy took the opportunity to just flop onto the bed, waiting for the pounding in her head to clear as Steel Marrow replaced her stoma bag, checked her blood pressure and performed the dozen other irritating little tasks that reminded her of her mortality and limitations. Every day it seemed to get longer.

She knew the drugs didn’t help. She remembered Pinkie Pie well, her best friend destroyed by addiction to the very drug that was her mainstay. Regular detox treatments kept the worst at bay but she was still showing some of the symptoms of long term abuse, shakes, obsessions, poor attention span... she was aware that she was likely shaving years off her life, condemning herself to early dementia.

But she found herself agreeing with Pinkie, found herself sympathising with her. She had needed to be better. She had been better. Everypony forgot that Pinkie had caught dozens of zebra plots, saved hundreds of pony lives. That her spies and vigilance had averted dozens of attacks, outed countless spies.

It had destroyed her. But she had always known it would. She had done it anyway. And Fluttershy was old. She didn’t have many more years in her. She would willingly use up what little strength she had left to give in order to make a better world for those who came after.

She looked over to Steel Marrow, the hellhound’s eyes furrowed in concentration as he checked the readings on her bionic leg. He had been one of the many hellhounds that had dedicated themselves to her after she had pushed the hellhound Right’s bill through the council, the whole species embarrassing Fluttershy with an outpouring of almost religious worship. Fluttershy had turned most of them away, uncomfortable enough with being Velvet Remedy’s shadow even without an army of wasteland killers bound to her service. Steel Marrow however... he had left his fellows, stoically endured speciesm, coped with a bare minimum of prior education and a curriculum hardly designed with his species in mind... to become a doctor. To save lives. Fluttershy respected that more than she could ever say, “Thank you.”

“Don’t do thess for the praise.” Steel Marrow grumbled as he put the diagnostic unit away and pulled out a comb, moving to brush Fluttershy’s hair, “Praise only good to reassure thozze doing nothing worthwhile with their lives.”

Fluttershy smiled at him and returned her head to the bed, knowing he was just too proud to accept it without protest. Steel Marrow had endured a lot and it had hardened him a little too much, still he was one of the kindest beings she knew. He actually... reminded her a lot of Angel. She missed that bunny...

Fluttershy thought for a moment, normally content to go for her usual green. Still... “Red, I think.”

Steel Marrow couldn’t help snarking, “Trying to impress some young stallion?”

“Yes actually.” Fluttershy couldn’t help chuckling, “I’m meeting Arick Grimfeather’s today, I think he will respect me a lot more for boldness in my approach.”

“Hmm, fair enough.” Steel Marrow retrieved the red ribbon and pulled her hair into a bun, winding it around to seal it in place, “Thoughs I think claws through face make a bolder statement.”

“If I find you in bed with him, I will kill you both. For the sake of the children.”

She came downstairs to her office a little early as normal, Steel Marrow heading off to gather details on today’s appointments as Fluttershy made herself a cup of tea and some butter scones, enjoying the pleasant silence of an empty office. Rufus, a zebra bureaucrat she was becoming increasingly fond of, was her first visitor. He entered with a small stack of papers as normal, a mixture of fanmail, personal requests and comments sent to the palace from civilians in the area. Steel Marrow and Silver Scribe normally sorted them properly in the afternoon but Fluttershy enjoyed starting the morning by reading some of the more interesting looking ones.

Rufus was also a welcome opportunity to learn more about zebra culture, an immigrant from the most northern end of the Golden Coast where Caesar’s and Star Fall’s grasp was limited, the climate was cool and very few spoke anything but Nagana, an obscure zebra language barely evolved from the first tongues spoken in this area. Fluttershy got the impression he was considered a country hick by those around him, indeed he reminded Fluttershy very favourably of the Apple family. She was only too happy to give the eager young zebra a chance to talk about his culture where he wasn’t being judged for it.

Sadly work called, Silver Scribe just a few minutes late today, a rarity for her. The alicorn called out a happy and rather excitable good morning, her good mood triggering a little suspicion in Fluttershy as she replied cheerily, “And good morning to you Silver Scribe. Would you like a scone?”

The alicorn shook her head, looking abnormally pleased with herself, “I’ve already eaten. Actually I have something to show you.”

“Actually I’m still working on that. But look at this.” Silver Scribe gave a polite cough before opening her elegant little saddlebag and floating out a scroll, depositing it on Fluttershy’s desk with her normal flawless control, “This is a report I made on government revenue, tax collection and expenditure by region. I think that by implementing some of the NCR’s methods Caesar could increase his revenue by twenty percent.”

Fluttershy smiled politely, looking the report over. It certainly seemed to be detailed, though as normal there were a few too many blatant suppositions without hard evidence to back them up. Her referencing could do with some work too, especially for a recent university graduate. A... C grade, or a low B...

Fluttershy chuckled, you could take the professor out of the classroom... “It’s very good Silver Scribe, but it’s not what I asked you to do.”

Silver Scribe frowned angrily, clearly hurt deeply by the comment, “I am working on that. I just thought it was an important observation and I wanted to present it to you properly.”

Fluttershy sighed, giving her a kindly look as she shuffled the report to one side, “Of course, and it’s a worthy avenue of study. But it’s my job to make sure we’re all working together and being as productive as possible. I needed that demographic study for work I intended to do today, where as we won’t be able to use this for several weeks at least. Do you understand?”

Silver Scribe lowered her head, looking sulky, “I was just trying to take initiative...”

“And that’s good. But you should discuss any projects with me first, so I can use everypony as efficiently as possible.”

Silver Scribe nodded lifelessly, clearly crushed, “Ok. Can I go now, go get that report done?”

She watched the mare leave, tapping her hoof against her desk. Silver Scribe was not... the first mare Fluttershy would have chosen as her student, but was aware that one rarely had the luxury of choosing them. The problem of course was a depressingly common one, Silver Scribe had no desire to learn. Her opinion of the arrangement was it was an opportunity to impress an important NCR celebrity and move up to the next rank in her career. It was an all too common affliction of the young, to assume they already knew everything and now just had to claw their way upwards.

Fluttershy sighed at such thoughts, wondering if she was being judgemental. Silver Scribe was just... young. She had impressive Twilight Frost after all, and though the alicorn wasn’t the best judge of character she did have an eye for talent. Plus, all this moaning about the youth of today... the last thing Fluttershy wanted to become was some grumpy old grandma.

Fluttershy was still amazed how little Demonivore had changed, considering she had last trod these streets over two hundred and fifty years ago. She couldn’t help chuckling as she stepped across a paving stone that had once felt Pinkie Pie’s hoof, chipped and worn but still likely the very same stone. Silver Scribe gave her a questioning look at her open good mood, Fluttershy looking up to explain, “I visited this city once with the other elements of harmony. I met Caesar Remicon and Prince Nashar here too... though it was just Senator Rumicon back then.”

“You knew...” Silver Scribe paused for a moment in wonder before giving into her curiosity, carefully enquiring, “What was the Caesar like?”

“Proud, stubborn. Glared a lot.” Fluttershy smiled, closing her eyes at the memory, “Pinkie Pie made him laugh. He wasn’t a bad zebra, not really. It doesn’t work like that.”

“You know, when you get really into a... crossword puzzle or a bit of sewing, and you can’t think of anything else? You’re sitting up into the small hours of the night, missing sleep and deadlines over something totally inconsequential?”

“It’s like that. After a little while no pony or zebra could think about anything but victory and death, even after there was no longer any reason to continue.” Fluttershy lowered her head, taking a deep breath as the dark memories flooded back, “I wasn’t any better. I lost all perspective, stopped discussing my plans with anyone. I felt they wouldn’t understand, didn’t want to put them in danger... but in the end I became lost inside my own fantasies.”

“I learned to live with it.” She looked up at the alicorn, smiling gently, “But it’s a lesson to be learned. Always question your motivations, and have others around to question them.”

“If you can’t adequately explain yourself, then maybe you need to take a step back.” Fluttershy chuckled, “I doubt Velvet Remedy and I would have done half the good we had if we didn’t have the other to say when we were being blinkered and obsessive.”

Fluttershy knew the comment was heartfelt, despite its poor expression. Hopefully it might convince the alicorn to allow others to criticise her ideas without it feeling like a personal insult, and through that learn to be generally more flexible.

But such thoughts could wait until later. The temporary offices of the Far Go traders reared up in front of them, ponies moving about in a bustle as they set up their operation. A few caps were doffed as Fluttershy was recognised, Fluttershy falling into her old ‘waving and smiling routine’. A pony she recognised as a well known children’s entertainer pointed her out to the zebra foals that surrounded him as she passed, earning her sincere gratitude by convincing them not to rush her and content themselves with observing from afar.

They entered the office and stood observing the chaos for a moment, Arick busy yelling at a troop of merchants as Ace Gold stood nearby with a look of bored indifference on his face. The office was covered with paper and assorted nick nacks, someone having hung a large portrait of Arick upon the back wall. The argument Arick was having seemed to be about some obscure financial point that went over Fluttershy’s head, and either way he quickly ended the discussion and turned to face Fluttershy with a broad grin. He waved a claw to shoo the merchants away and advanced forward, his normal smug, ‘laughing at some hidden joke’ look in his eye, “Ambassador, a pleasure.”

Fluttershy smiled back, not bothering to keep her own enmity from creeping in around her eyes, “Likewise Arick. Congratulations on your new position.”

He laughed, patting himself on the chest, “You know I’m always eager to take on new opportunities. And I’m starting to like this work, I think I might have finally found a place perfectly suited to my talents.”

Con-artistry, seducing women and egomania? Fluttershy kept her inner thoughts to herself of course, “I’m glad you’re doing well Arick. Actually I wanted to talk to you today about your business here. You are of course a representative of the NCR, official or not, and...”

Arick waved her off, giving a bored sigh, “You can talk about all that with my staff. It’s been ages since we spoke Fluttershy, why is it all business?”

“So Fluttershy, tell me. Any special pony in your life? Is your bed still cold and lonely?”

“Arick.” She spoke firmly, locking her eyes on the prattish griffon, “I have a lot of work to do, and I don’t have time for games. You’re painting yourself as a professional now, so please be professional.”

Arick sighed theatrically, rolling his eyes... and setting them upon Silver Scribe, “Very well, if you won’t play... what about you Sil?”

Silver Scribe’s eyes went wide, frozen before his charming smile, “I... um...”

“Anyone special in your life?” He smiled playfully, spinning a claw in the air, “Found anyone else to do that little hair thing you like?”

Silver Scribe blushed, and Fluttershy was ever so slightly sickened to see a goofy smile spread across her face. Was it really that easy? “Arick, if you haven’t got anything important to say...”

Arick chuckled, “I might not have anything interesting to say, but Sil might have. Come on, is your bed really as lonely as this old mare’s?”

“No... no I haven’t.” Silver Scribe blushed furiously, averted her head as it spread across her cheeks, “Got a special somepony that is... I...”

She was forced to pause as he leaned in closer, his charming grin causing her words to freeze in her throat. Arick continued to stare for a second more, enjoying her reaction, before moving back and stroking his chin thoughtfully, “Damn shame.”

Fluttershy... lost it, her temper with the griffon never particularly impressive, “Arick, you are wasting my time!”

“Losing your cool there Miss F.” Arick smirked, turning his back on her and moving towards the back entrance, “And frankly, I don’t care about any of the shit you have to talk about. We’re in zebra territory now, not the NCR. Nether you, nor any of your friends have any say in how I run things.”

Fluttershy almost shook with anger, jaw clenching, “Arick, you smug little...”

“Watch it Miss F, there are kids in the room.” Arick waved a dismissive claw, “And your five minutes are up. Happy trails.”

Fluttershy watched in total bafflement as Arick left the room and Silver Scribe galloped off after him, not quite sure what just happened.

No, she knew what just happened. Arick Grimfeathers had picked a fight and won. Again. And Fluttershy could only seethe impotently, her anger bubbling fiercely in her breast as she tried to restrain her urge to chase that arrogant little... shit down and spank his bottom until he learned how not to be a spoiled child. She looked around for something to hurt, head snapping round as a glass of water floated over. Her anger dimmed a little as she saw Ace Gold standing there watching her dispassionately, his horn glowing softly. He shrugged, “You look like you needed it.”

Fluttershy snapped the glass away with a hoof, angrily taking a gulp of the liquid. It went down painfully and she gave in to the temptation at last, flinging the glass to the floor and imagining it was Arick’s head as it shattered into a thousand rainbow shards bouncing across the carpet.

Fluttershy felt the familiar guilt and shame, staring in sad resignation at the broken crystal shards scatted about the floor. It was childish and petty, certainly not the actions of a senior NCR official. Her temper had got the better of her again, “No... I’ll pay somepony to...”

She was forced to pause as the shards floated up off the floor, gathering together and dumping themselves into the wastebin. It was an impressive bit of magic, Fluttershy turning to Ace Gold with a warm smile, “Your telekinesis has really improved.”

Ace Gold’s embarrassment at the praise was clear, even behind the stoic exterior of those dark glasses he always wore, “Studied it at Manehatten U, should be good.”

Fluttershy tried not to grin, the foal such a typical surly teenager. She remembered when he would never shut up, when he was so curious about each and every thing. She was sure that deep down he was just the same, even underneath the hormones and acne, “Even if I disagree with your choice of friends, it’s good to see you doing so well Ace. You’ve grown into a handsome young stallion.”

Ace Gold met her gaze with a quiet, assessing stare, considering his answer for a moment before nodding slowly and carefully, “Arick isn’t so bad once you get to know him. He just doesn’t like ponies trying to tie him down.”

Fluttershy wasn’t convinced. She had known Arick most of his life and had never seen anything but mild sociopathy and self obsession behind that thin veneer of charm. Still she would never state that so bluntly, “I’ll believe you Ace. Just be careful, he doesn’t like to be counted on either. Get too close and he’ll turn on you just as quickly.”

“Yeah... whatever.” Ace retreated back into his shell of indifference again, tone quietly hostile, “Is this the part where you try to convince me to go home?”

Fluttershy sighed, though she understood his hostility. He hadn’t had the easiest of childhoods, and she knew he often felt justifiably isolated and misunderstood, “No. You’re intelligent, capable and only a few years off your age of majority. Certainly a lot of foals younger than you are already finding their way in the world without their parent’s assistance.” She was lying a little about her true feelings, but she still meant what she was saying. Ace had never excelled in a structured environment, and she really did think this was good for him despite her fears.

Fluttershy chuckled, “If they really objected it’s within both of their powers to drag you back forcefully. As I said, you’re not at age of majority yet.” She lowered her gaze, smiling kindly at the evasive foal as she placated him, “Your father can be overbearing sometimes, I understand. He doesn’t want to make the mistakes his own father did, and you have to understand that. But he understands that sometimes a child needs to find their own way.”

Fluttershy sighed, knowing this relationship all too well. It wasn’t something you could easily talk to either of them about, “Remember that she ran away from home as well. She understands.”

Ace snorted, his tone unpleasant, “I know she ran away from home, I was living there at the time. I don’t think it’s quite the same.”

Ow, she walked right into that one. But yes it was, both decisions leaving families worried, upset and wondering quite what they did wrong. Only Ace’s reasons concerned only himself, while his mother’s concerned the whole wasteland, making Ace the flaming hypocrite in her book. But... element of kindness, not honesty, “I’ve spoken to you about this before Ace. You can’t live in the past, if you want to grow you have to move forward. You have to pay attention to the now.”

Ace’s nose wrinkled, “What now? The damn kissy kissy make up? That’s why I left, makes me sick. Two ponies who spent my entire childhood shouting about how much they hated the other, now all lovey dovey like nothing happened? It didn’t work the first time, what makes them think it will now?”

Fluttershy closed her eyes, feeling Ace’s pain. His parent’s divorce was obviously still so clear and painful in his mind that it drowned out any happy memories of being a family. She was already aware how deeply he blamed his mother, “Ace, the circumstances are...”

“Fluttershy, stop being such a fucking busybody!” Ace growled the words, cold and sharp. He adjusted his glasses to hide his eyes fully, shooting her a nasty grimace as he turned his flank to her, “Just do your job, and stay the fuck out of my life already. I’ve got enough shit to worry about.”

Fluttershy watched him leave, letting her head fall in defeat. Some wounds were just too raw.

She got back a little late that evening, hooves aching from the exertion. She had eventually managed to track down Daisy and get some sort of deal hammered out, that however left her late for several other engagements that left her scampering around the city gasping out apologies and trying not to get anyone mixed up. That was compounded by Silver Scribe having totally vanished, Fluttershy not getting a single response from her all afternoon.

As such she was really holding herself back as she stalked towards Silver Scribe’s room, contemplating apocalyptic punishments. Her jaw dropped like a stone as the door opened and Arick strode out, adjusting his suit and shooting Fluttershy a grin. She ran her tongue around her mouth and tightened her jaw, making sure it was firm and suitably intimidating as she walked up to meet him, “What are you doing here?”

“Catching up with old friends.” Arick laughed to himself, shaking his head and shrugging innocently at Fluttershy, “Look, I know you hate me. I know you’ll probably hate me even more now. Let me just say I never lied, never mislead anyone. I don’t go out of my way to hurt anypony, I just go through life taking what I’m offered.”

He smirked as she lost her temper once more, “Then they should take better care of it.”

She watched him walk past, heading towards the exit with his normal confident swagger. It was as fake and studied as the rest of him, Fluttershy wondering how he fooled anyone. She found him... foul.

She sighed and continued on into the room, instantly greeted with the sound of sobbing. She forced a kind, sympathetic look onto her face with an impressive act of will and trotted fully into the room, greeted with a rather pathetic looking alicorn half buried in the sheets of her bed, “Silver Scribe.”

She trotted over, pausing for a moment before moving over to the sink and filling a glass of water. She offered it to Silver Scribe but the alicorn turned away, Fluttershy sighing and placing it on her bedside table, “I’m not going to make any judgements, I promise.” She took a deep breath, “I assume he took what he wanted and left?”

“He... said he often thought of me, what we could have been... that all the old feelings returned just seeing me again... I believed him, I let him...”

Feelings? Of lust, the desire to corrupt such a seemingly straight laced girl? Simple sadism? Whatever passed for emotion in that blackened heart of his? “He was lying.”

“Bastard...” She lifted her head, looking over to Fluttershy with tear stained eyes, “Why did I let him? Why did I fall for it?”

“We’re... it’s understandable. He promised what you wanted to hear, and had a charming smile. That’s a lot when you’re feeling lonely.”

“I was young once too.” Fluttershy sighed, closing her eyes at the long forgotten memories, “And pretty. And naive.”

Silver Scribe actually giggled, a small sad smile etching itself across her face before it was replaced with worry, “I’m... so sorry Ambassador.”

“No harm done.” Fluttershy stepped away, sighing, “Go to sleep, forget about all this. I want you at my office early tomorrow ok?”

“No. But you need to focus Silver Scribe. You keep being distracted by irrelevant things, and if you’re going to make something of yourself I’m going to need to see some dedication.” She nodded firmly at the alicorn, “I’m going to be supervising you closely for the time being ok? You have to shape up, or I’m going to have to take more official measures.”

“Good. Now get some sleep.” Fluttershy gave her a reassuring smile before stepping away, taking one last long behind before heading back to her room.

Silver Scribe really should know better, but as she had mentioned Fluttershy hadn’t exactly been any smarter when she was young. Maybe she would be able to make something out of this mare, just as her friends had made something of her. It was a nice thought.

She liked young people, she really did. She spent most of her time with them, and Ace Gold and increasingly Silver Scribe were dear to her. Still she was forced to admit that they really did require a lot of time and energy. She had a whole stack of papers to work on and she barely had enough in her to finish reading the first, her eyes drooping and her resolve wavering.

She initially felt her mind drifting to her Mint-all’s, Fluttershy waving off the idea. Mint-all’s wouldn’t make her less tired, in fact from experience it would just make her more distracted and restless. She pondered the matter for a little while before her eyes moved to her make up bag. She quickly retrieved it and brought it to her desk, slipping open the secret compartment and searching around with a hoof. She quickly found what she was looking for, pulling out the small inhaler and placing it on the desk in front of her. Then she stared at it, the red liquid gently swirling around inside the pressurised container like fog on a cold day.

She knew it was a bad habit. In her work in the Followers she had come across plenty of ponies ruined by it. Still... she knew the propaganda the Follower’s spread was rubbish. The users were ruined not because of the drug itself, but because they ran out of money and needed to steal and whore to afford to feed their addiction. She wasn’t addicted, and as terrible as it seemed... she was wealthy.

And it wasn’t new for her, having been a little too reliant on drugs since her early thirties. Rarity had struggled with amphetamine abuse for several years, and accidently introduced Fluttershy to the same. They had beaten it together, but Fluttershy had often found herself turning back to the drugs when times got hard. She didn’t see why it was so bad, Twilight’s obsessive behaviour needed no drugs to bloom and Applejack had been mean and miserable enough to make the most obsessive Buck abuser look like a kitten at her lowest points. Fluttershy just needed a pick-me-up every now and then.

It was just a drug after all. Inside this bottle were simple triggers for natural neurotransmitters, convincing them to work just a little differently for a short while. She nodded firmly to herself as she adequately justified her decision, just taking the inhaler in her mouth and clicking the trigger. She grimaced a little at the sour, chemical taste of the mixture before it swiftly got to work. She felt her tiredness drift away, a renewed sense of focus and purpose take her, along with a warm, fluffy sense of well being. She smiled with contentment and got to work.

She rushed through the work with admirable swiftness, and though she could barely remember half of what she was signing she reassured herself that she could quickly double check it all later on. Her energy levels started to give out as it started to wear off, still she had adequate supply to take another dose.

Eventually it was finished, Fluttershy smiling at the big pile in front of her and calling for Steel Marrow.

The hell hound entered shortly afterwards, nodding as Fluttershy indicated the papers, “You have had a long day misezz Fluttershy, you should get some rest.”

“I will... um, after this.” Fluttershy chuckled as she tried to think through the clouds that had suddenly formed in her head, waving a hoof to Steel Marrow, “These papers are done.”

“I can see that... what in the stars...?” Steel Marrow’s eyes scrolled the first paper in the stack, holding it up to look more closely. His worried, confused eyes flicked to Fluttershy... and then widened in anger as they moved along the desk.

Fluttershy looked over to where he was staring, a gasp escaping from her throat as she realised she had left the empty Dash capsules just laying out in full view. She scrabbled for an explanation, made worse by the fact that her words just didn’t want to flow at the moment, “I... it was just a little, to help me work...”

Steel Marrow’s muscles went tight, the hell hound obviously restraining himself from slicing something in half. He took the Dash capsule between two of his long fingers, glass cracking as he glared hotly at Fluttershy. He literally spat his words, “Thizzz... is poissson! Two capsulez, witthin an hour?! You’re lucky your heart’th still as strong as it izz!”

Fluttershy backed away a little, honestly intimidated by his anger, “Exactly, I can take it...”

Steel Marrow seized up the paper he had been reading and threw it at her, Fluttershy catching it in her hooves as he glared, “Read it.”

She complied, looking down at the paper. It was hard to focus, still... she didn’t remember...

Her writing had sprawled out of the lines in big, messy curves, most of the words appallingly misspelt. Half the sentences were... incomprehensible, “I... I didn’t...”

“You have ruined a whole day’s worth of work.” Steel Marrow slammed the papers down on the desk, his eyes burning holes into her hide as he spoke with quiet wrath, “You smuggled illegal chemicals into a foreign territory. You took a dangerous and addictive drug in double dozez. You intentionally ignored my advice.”

Fluttershy couldn’t think straight, realising that the drug really had affected her badly. She couldn’t concentrate, her mind a fog. She... had been stupid to take a double dose of Dash when she was so tired, and she really should have realised that. She felt tears drip down her face, feeling like a scared schoolgirl caught red handed by her teacher, “I’m... I’m sorry...”

“No mores.” Steel Marrow snapped up the make up bag, his claws seizing it tight, “I will remove thee temptation.”

“No!” Fluttershy rose up, not wishing for this to cause any more damage than it already had. She desperately waved a hoof at him, just wanting to stop all this nonsense and just sit down and talk, “That supply has a market value of thousands of caps, I... I might need it. There might be an emergency and I might...”

Steel Marrow flexed his paw, the bag collapsing with a crack of breaking glass. Fluttershy winced like her heart had been shot through, guilt... and anger, “Steel Marrow! Stop, stop it right now!”

He grimaced, staring at her for a moment or two before walking over and seizing her Mint-all collection. Fluttershy really did shout now, now feeling perfectly justified in her belief that this had gone too far, “No! You can’t, I order you to put that down!”

He growled his words, “You’res addicted to this... shit. And I will not sit and watch you kill yourself.”

Fluttershy stamped her hoof, sincerely ready to wrestle it away from him. She didn’t care that he could likely hold her off with a single digit of those large powerful paws, “I’m not addicted! You detox me every day!”

“Physically or physiologically, it’s the same. You can no longer bear to be weak, refuse proper rest, extend yourself past your limits with chemicals.” He growled, crushing the bag in his paw with the barest of effort, “I refuse to let you do this.”

“NO!” Fluttershy screamed at him, her throat straining as she gasped angry painful curses. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t! “I need them! Without them... the peace process will fail, I won’t be able to do it! You’re killing thousands of ponies, zebra! You’re killing them! STOP IT! STOP! I’M AN ELEMENT OF HARMONY, I’M A HERO, A VIP! YOU CAN’T IGNORE ME!”

He glared at her, eyes like twin icicles. He held that gaze as tears ran down her face, her chest heaving with the effort. His words held nothing but cruel judgement, “If yous really cared about this peazze you would have givens this up long ago. You should knows that these don’t lead to wizzdom, only madnezz and pain.”

Fluttershy tried to speak, her mouth however was dry and sore, her neck muscles aching as the tears ran down her face, “They help... without them I’m just an old mare...”

“With them you’re a mewling child, dying alone and unloved with a legacy of fear and terror. You know thizz only too well!”

“Somehound has to.” He turned away, stalking towards the door with the remains of her mint-all’s still clutched tightly in his paw, “You can get yourself to bed. I refuse to help a mare intent on self destruction.”

“Fine! Go!” Fluttershy screamed after him, quivering in anger. She remained like that for some time after he had left, finally realising that there was no pony left to vent it against.

The next morning was hard. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly so she already woke up in a foul mood, not exactly the best time to attempt activities she hadn’t done herself in a long time. She waited as long as she could for Steel Marrow and even called him a couple of times, to no result.

Eventually she just let her mane hang loose and dressed herself in her stealth cloak, the clasp a lot easier to apply than the rather more complex dresses she had brought. Her stoma bag was near impossible to change herself however, her joint’s protesting before she even got close to the right position. In the end she simply emptied it, figuring she could get one of Caesar’s nurses to change it later. She did briefly consider calling one to her room, but knew that would attract too much attention. She was hardly in bad shape for her age, but all the same hated to reveal her medical history quite so openly to Caesar’s employees.

Mostly it was just pride. Steel Marrow was right. She hated being weak, getting old.

And speak of the devil, a single step later and her hip clicked out of position and she collapsed against the bed, swearing in pain and frustration. It was the leg she was forcing out of position to change her stoma bag, obviously she had stressed the joint there more than she thought. It hurt like hell but Fluttershy was able to put weight through her other leg, the bionic parts allowing her to put more pressure on it than normal. Unfortunately it was also on the side affected by her stroke, meaning she was hardly too stable as she staggered out of the door a dishevelled, haggard mess.

Indeed she made but a few short steps towards her office before realising how stupid this all was, sighing at how idiotic she must look as she took out her pip-buck and called up Silver Scribe. Damn her pride to hell, she couldn’t well limp around for the rest of the day.

The call hung in the air for a good minute before finally cutting out, unable to find the destination. Either Silver Scribe hadn’t got her pip-buck turned on or it was out of range.

“Mmm...” Fluttershy dropped her foreleg, taking a good deep breath. Her damaged leg instantly began to ache like hell, her limited patience instantly failing her, “Mother... feather...! Fuck! Fucking... Silver Scribe, Steel Marrow, Regina, Arick and all her fucking family!” She kicked out like a foal, no longer caring how stupid she looked, “Gagh! I hate you all!”

She turned, the zebra clerk Rufus standing a few feet away with a clipboard held against his chest. She observed him quietly for a moment or two before just curling up on the floor and waiting to die.

Rufus smiled as he helped her tie her hair back, straightening out the loose strands, “It’s really no problem Ambassador. Back home, I used to help out great mother Kanzi every day, help her wash and dress. She was a great and honourable mare, and I would not be here if not for her lessons and example.”

Fluttershy sighed, not feeling like some grand old wise woman, “The old can be as stupid and selfish as anypony else.”

“You are a great mother Ambassador. The tribes of the NCR look up to you, one of the greatest uses your name.”

Did it? They worshiped the world following the end, the Followers of the Apocalypse. Burning the world didn’t make her the custodian of what came after, save by virtue of guilt. That came to those who were born in it, grew up in it, fought against it. It belonged to Velvet Remedy, “I... inspired it. I suppose.”

Fluttershy winced, cowering slightly at the reminder. She still wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea, “There’s a lot of ponies who still disagree with me on that one.”

“You lead hundreds to safety through enemy controlled territory during the war with the Enclave.”

“Yes, but that...” She sighed, shaking her head, “Ponies listen to me because I’m two hundred years old, because I led a ministry, because I was an element of harmony. I didn’t earn any of that, it was all given to me by circumstance.” She left her head fall, contemplating her disgrace, “I was the odd one out in the Elements, I was the coward, the whiner. I just followed behind, trying not to get in the way. Being the only survivor doesn’t make me any more special than that.”

Rufus paused, his silence lingering in the air. Fluttershy cursed her melancholy for convincing her to say too much, wondering if she had embarrassed, upset the zebra somehow. And then he spoke, quiet and tender, “There’s a lot of brave zebra out there. Most of them have a lot of blood on their hooves. You... you’re the element of kindness. You were kind to the hellhounds, you were kind to the zebra, and you encouraged the Followers of the Apocalypse to be kind. When zebra talk about the war crimes of ponies, your name is brought up to counter that hatred. A great mother isn’t defined by her deeds, but by the deeds of her children.”

Oh why! Why did she think like that?! Her children were gone, happy in whatever afterlife awaited them alongside her friends. Her pining for them? Selfish. She didn’t deserve to be happy with them, not yet. She still had too many sins to buy off. And bit by bit... maybe she was doing enough good to see them again some day, “Thank you Rufus. Your great mother taught you well.”

“No problem Ambassador.” He brought her dress over and helped her inside, Fluttershy unable to help feeling slightly embarrassed at getting so intimate with a strange stallion. It had taken her a while to get used to Steel Marrow, and at least he wasn’t pony shaped. She winced slightly as Rufus touched her right leg, his hoof pausing momentarily. He spoke quietly, sounding a little embarrassed himself, “Sorry, it just felt...”

Fluttershy gave a reluctant smile, tapping the offending leg against the ground, “Strange?”

Rufus considered his answer, “Um... yes. Just the muscle underneath seems... off.”

She smiled, “It’s a bionic implant. The bone, nerves and parts of the muscle are all artificial.”

His eyes widened in surprise and confusion, “But... it’s normal flesh on top.”

Fluttershy smiled, glad he hadn’t noticed the joins. Call her vain but her first worry was that she would have some industrial plated shard of metal sticking out of her hip, having to admit always being somewhat unsettled by those with obvious modifications. Truth be told the pain, tenderness and added difficulty in maintenance might not have been worth it in the long run, still she appreciated the effort spent on making it look natural, “It was state of the art when it was implanted, I allowed myself to be use as a test subject. I had just had a rather high profile stroke and lost all sensation in that leg, they promised they could heal the damage and I felt my participation would help them gain the funding needed to expand their work to the general population.”

Rufus stared at the leg in wonder, eventually turning up to Fluttershy and giving her a broad smile, “See, that’s another way in which you managed to help the lives of others.”

Fluttershy chuckled, “And once again, I was rather a passive participant in the situation.”

Rufus returned her smile before helping her get her other leg into her dress, just tying the support band when something hit both of them hard. Fluttershy toppled to the floor with Rufus following after, a loud bang and a crack of collapsing masonry sounding out as the whole palace shook on its foundations. Fluttershy dived under the desk and curled into a ball, whimpering slightly as the sound of falling rubble continued over the distant retort of gunfire.

Fluttershy lifted her head, relieved to find she was. The office was covered in a thin layer of dust but there were no cracks indicating the structure was unsafe, nor any further shaking. An earthquake?

Rufus pricked his ears up and advanced cautiously on the door, “I can’t hear any more weapon fire... but there’s a lot of shouting.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath to calm herself, pulling herself up and brushing down her dress. They were ok, it was likely just a accident down on the range, “We should stay here and wait for updates.”

“Yes. No use running out into danger, or overreacting to something minor.” Fluttershy took a key from under the desk, using to unlock her supply drawer. There wasn’t much, a vial of dash, a box of mint-alls and some buck, along with a needle pistol and a submachine gun. She hesitated to make any rash moves so she just took the needle pistol for now, placing it on top of the desk in easy reach. After a moment she took the Dash as well, well aware of her need for a clear head.

Fluttershy blushed at her continued bad timing, not wanting a repeat of last night, “Some medicine, it helps calm me down.”

Fluttershy chuckled. If only he knew, “Come over here and take a seat Rufus. Hopefully somepony will be here to update us shortly.”

If only he knew indeed. After a few short minutes of further shouting and raised voices Fluttershy had to cross her forehooves to stop them from shaking, the hallucinogenic qualities of the dash playing dangerously on her nerves. She pushed the needle pistol away a little, less and less confident she could actually use it. For all her calm command of the situation she was well aware that she was really a scared old mare, who had shot at exactly two living targets in her life... and missed both times.

Eventually she heard marching hooves heading towards the door, stuffing the drugs into her dress and pulling the needle pistol close. Rufus got up onto his hooves and faced the door with a nervous expression, Fluttershy gulping down her nerves before speaking up as loud as she could, “Please, it’s just me and a clerk inside. Please send in just one zebra with weapons holstered, so I know you have no hostile intentions.”

There was a short muttering outside the door before one set of hooves advanced. A zebra clearly identified as one of Caesar’s officers entered, his submachine gun tucked away and his helmet clutched under his forehoof. He nodded firmly to Fluttershy, his face grim and a little angry, “Ambassador Fluttershy. You are unharmed?”

“An attack.” The officer motioned for her to follow, “Caesar wishes to speak with you, come.”

She was further worried by the officer’s cold manner, used to a far more reverential treatment by the soldiers here. Still she had little choice, throwing Rufus a reassuring smile as she was led out into the corridors beyond.

She was ushered into the council chamber with wordless summons, the zebra inside all drawing weapons and pointing them in her direction as she entered. She stepped along as meekly as possible, everypony looked extremely jumpy and she had no desire to antagonise them.

That was Caesar’s voice, though he sounded oddly insincere. Fluttershy looked up to where the voice had sounded from...

And gasped, horror and deep fear filling her chest at the image before her, “Caesar, what happened to you?!”

The zebra grimaced, the left side of his face covered in red stained bandages and his shoulder similarly dressed and blooded. He waved off the doctor attending to him, wincing slightly as he leaned forward to speak, “At least your reaction proves you didn’t have anything to do with this.”

Fluttershy... didn’t know what to say. Those injuries didn’t look accidental, more like he had been attacked, “Who did this to you?”

“You really want to know?” Caesar drew back, his eyes growing dark, “It was your alicorn friend.”

“She got that damn zebra Zenai to lure me out, then tried to stab me in the back with a infantry sword.” Caesar growled, touching a hoof to his shoulder, “Fortunately her combat skill was very much lacking, or she would have succeeded.”

Fluttershy... couldn’t believe it. Silver Scribe was a secretary, she wasn’t even combat trained. And as for motive... there was no motive. No possible reason why... “Why? Why would she try to kill you?”

“So the NCR can take over the Golden Coast? So you can ally with Star Fall and rape the zebra nation of its resources once again?” Caesar growled, falling back on his haunches and letting the doctor return to treating his injuries, “I have arrest warrants out on Zenai, Silver Scribe, Dust Kicker and Steel Marrow. Tell me where they are.”

“I... I don’t know.” Fluttershy winced, knowing that wasn’t a very convincing answer, “I haven’t seen anyone since last night.”

Caesar replied in a low growl, his voice carefully controlled, “Steel Marrow is your nurse. Silver Scribe your secretary.”

Fluttershy felt herself panic, trying hard to keep her nerves under control, “Neither of them arrived this morning. Rufus helped me get dressed.”

“Your clerk... great Caesar.” Fluttershy looked around, gulping to see herself surrounded by so many unfriendly faces, “I don’t believe Silver Scribe could do this. There must be some reason, some explanation...”

“A bomb, near completely destroyed my personal quarters.” Caesar glared coldly at her, his words full of barely restrained rage, “It was placed in my father’s room next door.”

“He’s dead.” Caesar glared quietly and levelled a hoof at her, “Who in your team has skill with explosives?”

“I...” Fluttershy felt her legs wobble, her heart race. She was losing it, made worse by the clear signs of Dash and Mint-all withdrawal. She couldn’t deal with this, she couldn’t...

The mare strode into the room with confidence, even closely shadowed by Oteka and a similarly intimidating looking guardstalion. Fluttershy recognised her immediately, her manner and clothing instantly familiar, “Daisy?”

Daisy turned a single eye to Fluttershy before facing Caesar once more, voice firm and confident, “Arick Grimfeathers has training, motive... and evidence. I have found papers in Arick’s personal effects, indicating he was paid by Star Fall to assassinate you. This also explains the Silver Scribe connection, the young mare was infatuated with him.”

No. No, that wasn’t right! “Arick broke Silver Scribe’s heart just last night! She wouldn’t...”

“Chigaru, please escort Ambassador Fluttershy back to her room.” Caesar spoke coldly, with no sign of his previous warmth, “Make sure she says there.”

And so they advanced down the long corridors, Fluttershy unable to think of anything to say or do to stop this. She was forced to look back after a little while, her already trembling heart beating even harder as she realised she didn’t know this area of the palace. This was... the east wing? It did lead towards her room, but was rather a roundabout route that took them far from any supporting troops, “Um... why are we taking this route?”

One of the zebra looked to Chigaru for an answer but received none, the operative not even looking like he heard. After a moment the soldier answered himself, as officially as he could manage, “We suspect the infiltrators might try to capture you. By taking this route we’re likely to bypass them.”

Oh she was just about ready to wet herself, her nerves really not up to this kind of situation. She tried her best to keep her composure but it wasn’t easy, Fluttershy most stung by just not understanding why this was happening. She had read up on Dust Kicker and Zenai, she knew Silver Scribe. Why would they...?

Chigaru suddenly stopped, turning smoothly to face them. The two soldiers almost ran into him in their haste, backing up hurriedly and giving clumsy salutes, “Ah, what is it si...?”

His words were cut off as Chigaru swung a shotgun from his side and fired two quick shots in the time it took to take a breath, striking both zebra and sending them crashing to the ground without even the time to scream. Fluttershy did have time, looking down at the blood and brain matter that covered her for a moment before opening her mouth...

Chigaru moved forward with all the grace and fluidity of liquid steel, gently clamping her lips together with a hoof. His voice was calm, warm, gentle, “None of that. Not yet.”

He moved away slowly, Fluttershy’s voice trembling as she questioned his words, “Not yet?”

“I will want you to scream, but if you do it now... I would just have to straight out kill you.” He cocked his head to the side, “That wouldn’t be any fun now would it?”

Fluttershy... couldn’t panic! She had been in this sort of situation before! This was... a very bad zebra, and she would never back down before such cold hearted evil! “You killed those zebra in cold blood!”

Chigaru nodded, throwing the shotgun to the side with a casual toss, “This is between the two of us.”

“What?” Fluttershy looked at the two dead zebra, uncomprehending, “Was… was it you who set up that bomb, attacked Caesar?”

“No. Knew it was going to happen, made sure the guards were out the way. Supposed to knock you out, smuggle you out of the country, that’s my part of the deal.” He looked up at her, his manner calm and casual, “Decided to kill you instead.”

“You... you intend to kill me? Why? To start a war?” Her heart filled with anger, jaw clenching, “Are you really so nostalgic for the days of your youth? You want to fill the world with balefire a second time?!”

“Well done ambassador, you have me figured out. Just one thing.” Chigaru held up a warding hoof, his voice wistful, “No balefire this time. Just hoof, and knife, and gun and tooth.”

Fluttershy let it out, stomping her hoof and leaning forward to let out all her hate and fury, glaring into that masked face with everything she hard. Her eyes opened wide and terrible, her voice spitting as she reinforced the crushing force of her will, “You twisted FREAK! You’re betraying your lord, and with it giving up any kind of honor you possess! Take me back to Caesar now, and explain what you’ve done!”

“Really? Is that it?” Chigaru shook his head in deep sadness before slapping Fluttershy across the jaw, knocking her sprawling. She gasped and winced, feeling the bone click back into place as she rolled over. Her vision span and she desperately mewled for mercy as Chigaru stepped over, trying to ward him off for all the good it did. He simple ignored her feeble batting and pressed a hoof into her throat, staring down with way too much interest as she gasped and sobbed in terror, “The mare of the apocalypse... yes, I think I’m going to enjoy this. And you know what’s the best bit about suffocating somepony?”

“Sadly it’s the fact that those killed like this tend to soil themselves before it’s over. Such a wonderfully inelegant way to die.” He shook his head, letting out a deep sigh, “But I looked up your medical records, so I know that isn’t going to happen. You’re still going to piss yourself in a moment of course, but that isn’t quite the same.”

Fluttershy gasped as he released the pressure for the barest second, about to scream when he promptly cut off the air once more. Tears ran down her face as she realized he intended to draw this out, make her sit through his damn villainous monologue...

“If I wanted to be really cliché I could rape you I suppose, that’s always humiliating. But well... you’re old and shrivelled, I really lack the parts to do it properly... and to be honest I’ve never really enjoyed it much.” He looked down on her, his voice light and conversational, “You know, the guys from the office used to take me down to the red light district, always made fun of me for having to be forced to go. Probably gay they said, probably a little nancy boy. I did actually try it with a stallion, I kinda liked the pain and humiliation of it... but it still didn’t really do it for me.”

He released the pressure, lifting his hoof and slamming it down just next to her head with tile shattering force. Fluttershy desperately gasped down a few, desperate mouthfuls of air, opening her mouth wide, “Helllp...”

“Yeah, I just choked you. You’re not going to be screaming for a while.” Chigaru chuckled evily for a moment, leaning down until he was face to face with her, the red light of his visor burning painfully into her eyes, “But one day, the hooker I was with tried to mug me. Pulled out a knife, told me to hand over my wallet. I still remember how it felt when I opened up her face, rammed that knife down her gullet and twisted...”

Fluttershy clenched her teeth, trying not to cry, trying not to give him the satisfaction. If only she hadn’t driven Steel Marrow away, she wouldn’t have to go like this. Dying alone against this... villainous cliché...

And then Chigaru went flying, his side exploding and his body sent bouncing down the corridor with devastating force. He immediately gave a low growl and attempted to get up, only to be dropped once more as another blast struck him in the head and shattered his visor into a dozen bouncing pieces. Fluttershy looked down the corridor with wide, hopeful eyes, never more happy than when she saw a pony in full elite Applejack Ranger gear striding down the corridor with intent, “I... please help...”

“Fluttershy!” The armoured figure spotted her and galloped over, his face mask withdrawing to reveal the familiar features of Dust Kicker. He looked more than a little concerned, unsure how to react to her gasping, prone form. Eventually he regained his composure, extending a hoof, “Ambassador... can you move?”

She didn’t care if he had killed Caesar’s father, tried to overthrow his empire or anything other than the fact that he was here and offering her a helping hoof. She took it eagerly, wiping the tears from her face and trying to regain some composure, “Dust Kicker... I...” Her throat still hurt, Fluttershy feeling her breath leave her after but a few words, “L... let me recover for a second...”

“I...” Dust’s eyes widened, pushing her to the side and rushing past, “Later! Get down!”

Fluttershy gasped in terror as Chigaru rose, his face mask already repairing itself. Dust fired a shot but Chigaru was ready this time, darting to one side, then another as shots just tore up the walls and floors. He was too fast to track, pounding down the corridor with tile shattering force and leaping up for the kill...

Then Dust activated something, his pipboy flashing with light as the magic activated... bullet after bullet left his weapons, ploughing into Chigaru and stopping his terrifying momentum, then hurling him back down the corridor. His suit split, trailing pink gas as he struck the ground hard and twisted, his neck clearly snapping at the impact. Fluttershy gasped as he rolled broken across the ground, clearly holed in a dozen places. Even a Canterlot ghoul would have trouble surviving that.

And he was a Canterlot ghoul. She could see the pink gas rising from his body, and it would certainly explain the speed and power. He must have...

“Fucking die!” Dust fired again, striking Chigaru in the head and sending him rolling across the ground. He cursed as his shotgun clicked dry, leaning back and activating the reloading mechanism, “What the hell are you!?”

Dust fired another shot from his rifle, tearing through an already present hole and out the other side with a puff of pink smoke. Chigaru wasn’t even slowed, turning round to face them with a terrible grin on his broken face. And what a face it was.

He was a skeleton. Not even a complete one. Broken bone just floated in a cloud of shifting pink gas, the gas sinking back into his body and refilling his suit as it slowly repaired itself. Not a scrap of flesh remained on the bleached skeletal form but still it advanced, Chigaru’s voice echoing without the slightest movement of his shattered jaw, “Don’t waste your bullets.”

“Fluttershy!” Dust yelled out desperately, trying to reload his weapons, “What is he!? How do we kill him!?”

She didn’t know. She had never seen anything like him, and had studied ghouls in detail. The necromantic qualities of pink gas could impart limited immortality to ghouls, enabling their flesh to repair itself indefinitely so long as the victim’s will remained. That required at least some form of neural activity however, which was why cutting off the head killed a Canterlot Ghoul. There was no possible way consciousness could exist in a few shattered bones, she couldn’t see even a hint of flesh inside the swirling mass, “I... I don’t...”

Chigaru howled, launched himself forward to strike at Dust. The old mercenary cursed as he leapt to the side, striking Chigaru with all the effect of striking stone. Chigaru snorted and extended a hoof sharply outwards, taking Dust in the chest and flinging him into a wall with a crack of shattering ribs. She heard Dust’s back snap as he hit the stone, a further loud crack echoing out as the stone crumbled and collapsed back into the darkness outside. Dust followed, his limp, broken body toppling into what was a seven story fall.

Fluttershy seized Chigaru’s discarded shotgun in her teeth, flicked it upwards and blew Chigaru’s head off.

Fluttershy blinked the tears away as she galloped down the corridor in the other direction, Chigaru’s taunts echoing behind. Dust Kicker’s sacrifice had brought her this, and she wasn’t going down without a fight!

Still she was willing to make a go for it. Fluttershy remembered her little drug supply and slowed a moment to pop a buck out of its box, dropping it in her mouth between gasps. It took immediate effect, her muscles tightening up and her breathing easing off, a tiny bit of lost youth returning to her. Chigaru’s taunting voice sounded out behind and she used the added strength to increase her pace, attempting to steer her way towards the gardens on this floor.

But even with the added help Fluttershy still coughed and gasped as she worked her lungs harder than they had in years, trying desperately to keep her balance on her weaker leg as she sprinted down the corridor at full tilt. She heard the pounding of hooves behind and an evil chuckle, speeding her pace...

Fluttershy screeched to a halt, unsure if this was a good thing or not. Unfortunately her desperate attempts to warn them were totally useless, her mouth only opening to emit raspy gasps and pained squeaks. Her lungs burned and she was forced to just focus on breathing, lest she pass out.

She heard Chigaru trot down the corridor behind. She couldn’t run anymore. His voice sounded out, excitement and arousal in his tone, “Please hold the ambassador for me. She is attempting to escape.”

No... Fluttershy was unable to struggle as the two zebra took them in a firm grasp, turning them to face Chigaru as he advanced. His glowing red visor shone cruelly as he looked her over, his voice dripping poison, “Thank you gentlecolts. Now where were we?”

Fluttershy... wasn’t going to take this. She looked across and glared at the left soldier with all the power she had left, causing him to release his grip and back away slightly with a wide eyed look of shock. Fluttershy took the opportunity to tug her hoof away from the second and twist herself into a buck, slamming her bionic hoof into his jaw.

It might have just hurt her more than him, still it dropped him well enough. She twisted herself round and broke back into a sprint, wincing as she heard Chigaru laugh joyously behind.

She ran... for what seemed like forever. Finally she hit a door, shoulder barging it open and exploding into fresh, clear air. She was in a garden... with trees and plants and flowers.

She no longer cared why she was running. She just collapsed into the grass, consciousness fading away and replaced with restful darkness. Was she dying? That was... good. She could see her friends and family again, no longer having to stand in the darkness all alone...

She was shook, violently. It hurt. She was eventually forced to open her eyes, trying to bat away the molester. It was a... zebra? It was... “Zenai?”

Zenai gasped with relief and backed away to give Fluttershy some space, revealing Silver Scribe standing nervously behind her. Fluttershy tried to fight through the exhaustion and confusion, recall exactly why she was laying in the grass as she attempted to stand. Had she had another stroke? Or a heart attack? Small pieces of memory started to filter through but they all seemed like a bad dream... “What happened?”

Silver Scribe instantly galloped over and hugged Fluttershy, surprising her for a second before she relented and fell into the alicorn’s embrace. She felt a tear on her cheek and chuckled slightly, looking up at that big, sad face and trying to look as comforting as possible. For some reason it hurt to talk, her words sticking in her throat.

Zenai eventually broke the silence, her eyes scanning the area with caution, “We have to get out of here, now.”

Silver Scribe turned, her voice quavering, “What about Steel Marrow, Dust Kicker and Mr Sunshine?”

“Dust and Steel can take care of themselves, and Sunshine made his intentions perfectly clear.” Zenai nodded to Fluttershy, her tone fully stressing her urgency, “Judging from how Fluttershy was running there’s likely to be someone chasing her, and we’re not looking for a fight here.”

“I am.” Silver Scribe stepped forward to cover Fluttershy with her body, eyes proud and furious, “Fluttershy managed to escape from them and she’s old, let’s see how they fare against somepony who can actually fight back!”

Zenai rolled her eyes, “Silver, you’re a clerk. Stop trying to sound like a badass, haven’t you messed things up enough already?”

And Fluttershy’s memories returned. Caesar, the assassination attempt, fleeing for her life...

Fluttershy looked up at the shadowed figure perched above in wide eyed terror, her mouth opening wide in warning, “Watch...!”

It was too late, Chigaru hitting the ground like a meteor. He rose from the raining dirt like some deadly black insect, sleek and powerful amid the devastation. Zenai drew her pistol and fired a couple of plasma bolts in his direction but he simply ducked and weaved through the green fire and leapt at the group with hoof outstretched. Silver Scribe threw up her barrier but a single swipe shattered it into fragments, the alicorn giving a yell and staggering back with sparks exploding from her horn.

Steel Marrow descended out of the darkness with his claws outstretched, a silent reaper gliding through the air to strike Chigaru just at the nape of his neck. The claws of the hellhound were well advertised, slicing through his suit like it was made of butter and sending the monster flopping to the ground with his suit already deflating.

And Fluttershy could only watch, the horror dawning on her face as the pink smoke billowed outwards and covered Steel Marrow in its deadly embrace.

The hellhound gasped in pain, surprise and fear, hitting his knees and crying out as blood ran from his eyes and nose, his breaths raw, painful wheezes as he took the gas deep into his lungs. His eyes met hers, one last painful gaze before he gathered up the last of his strength and hurled his medical kit through the air.

She didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything. She could only watch as Steel Marrow hit the floor, dying in excruciating agony. She pulled a potion from her bag and went to help, only to find strong hooves wrapping around her, pulling her back.

New Perk added: Just Lucky I’m alive
“How did you survive?” “Didn't. Got killed... ha! I love that joke!”
You've had lots of close calls. Whenever you finish a fight with less than 25% health, your Luck increases by +4 for 3 minutes. You are also immune to critical hits, and your own critical hits inflict +50% damage.

Trait acquired: Chem Mare
You’ve been using chems so long that you’ve gained a unique resistance to their side effects. You are 25% less likely to suffer addiction, and the side effects of withdrawal are also reduced by 25%. Failing to take any drugs within a 24 hour period makes you depressed and cranky however, leading to a -1 penalty to all stats.

Trait acquired: Element of Kindness
The unique properties of one of the elements of harmony have rubbed off on you. You gain a +1 to charisma, and a further +1 bonus to initial reactions (equal to another point of charisma).

This fanfiction is based on Fallout Equestria by Kkat, it is highly recommended that you read that first for context. Reading Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes by Mimezinga will help understanding, but isn’t required.

Many of the characters and much of the setting are not mine but are on loan from the very awesome Kkat, or are taken from My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic by Hasbro. This story makes no pretentions at being canon with either, and is merely a ‘what-if’ set in the same world.

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.

Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 1.15 - Vulnerabilities