//------------------------------// // Who Dares Wins // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Occupational Hazards // by thefurryrailfan //------------------------------// ----- The day was lovely; the sun was shining bright in the sky, birds were singing, Featherweight and Buzzy were out playing catch and I was relaxing on the blanket underneath the large willow tree, smiling widely. Green magic lifted up a pair of Sparkle-Cola bottles, clinking them together and catching my attention, one of the bottles levitating into my hoof and becoming uncapped as the young, light-blue mare sat her vibrant self down beside me, returning the smile and stretching her back. The leaves and branches of the tree shook overhead, the smell of recently cooked burgers and fresh fries eminating from a woven basket that rested between us both. A pair of unicorns, one white-coated with a teal mane, and the other sporting a royal-blue coat and purplish mane, trotted up over the hillside, the white unicorn waving happily and moving up towards us. I smiled and waved back, Gamma Ray levitating out an old book from the basket and opening it up to read, the breeze rustling the leaves again. "Minty! Cross Stitch! How've you two been? Haven't seen you in days." I chuckled and rose to my hooves, giving my wings a gentle flap and moving over to them both, smiling widely. Cross Stitch wrapped a hoof around Minty's neck, chuckling and nodding, tapping his horn to Minty's and illiciting a vibrant blush from the bespectacled pony. Minty let off a light giggle and gave Cross a playful push aside. "Not in public, silly~ We've been, ah, keeping busy, getting reacquainted... funny how much you can miss somepony after a few days of them being away." My unicorn friend nuzzled his coltfriend, taking the moment to gently place a kiss on his cheek. The deep-blue stallion held him closer, chuckling softly and turning back towards myself, the three of us starting to head back up the hill. The two pegasi seemed to dance about in the skies above, weaving between themselves, one an agile green and red blur, the other a quick but rather slow-moving grey and blue mess of beautiful eyes and strong muscle. "I was really missing having my peppermint in my mouth~" I could have sworn Minty's cheeks went so red they could match his eyes at that statement. It didn't take a genius to guess exactly what the other unicorn was implying, if my blushing friend's cutie mark was any clue. Cross Stitch passed on a wink, chuckling lightly as we neared Gamma Ray at the top of the hill. A somewhat low droning sound started to grow in the background, myself thinking little of it for the moment, moving underneath the willow tree and settling down upon the large blanket once more. Featherweight and Buzzy landed and walked up to us, Gamma Ray opening up the basket and pulling out the picnic lunch. "Hope everypony's hungry, this was my grandma's recipie, Alpha Ray's famous hayburgers." The unicorn mare smiled widely, holding one of the sandwiches in her magic and passing out the rest. That low droning sound was getting louder, and higher - it sounded like a, ah, a really really big slide whistle, something like that. I seemed to be the only one there noticing the damn thing - it really was starting to grate at the nerves something feirce. No matter how much I rubbed my hooves at my ears, it just wouldn't stop... The tone had begun to rose - it was definitely getting louder, turning into a slow whine, then a wail, drowning out all the other noises around. The sounds of laughter, of Gamma chatting between bites, of the large willow tree overhead shaking in the breeze, all mimed and masked behind that damn wailing sound. I threw myself against the trunk, screaming silently, trying to find some quiet place to just be able to think. The screaming tone started to fall, only to rise back to its previous height, still clear in my head as the sky above. Feeling the exclamations of pain more than actually hearing them, my forehead took to smashing against the wooden tree trunk, each impact leaving a slightly larger red mark than the last - the scream just wouldn't stop. Red started rolling into my vision, myself reeling back for one more whack at it. The scream caught in my throat as the exposed bone and flesh impacted the dirty trunk, an insufferable crack and squelch being felt - and heard - as the weakened and damaged bone gave way to the force, splitting my head apart in the same manner as a large stone falling upon a helpless pet. In the last few fleeting moments before darkness overtook me, I could still hear the siren wailing along in my ears, dead eyes staring up at the branches of the willow tree as they swayed in the breeze, the smell of freshly-cooked hayburgers and sweet Sparkle-cola lingering about my broken nose. Everything faded away... except for that siren. I found myself waking with a start, chest heaving heavily as my bare hoof rubbing against my head - good, good, not cracked. The room in Mooscow; I was the only one in the bed. Minty was probably in the hospital still, Cross Stitch at his side. Four days ago we pulled him out, two days after that he finally was awake and talking. I actually had to remind Minty to eat some days, crazy as it seems - those two really did love each other to the ends of the planet. Always brought a smile seeing them together, happy, cuddling and laughing... just like myself and Gamma Ray used to be. Oh, stop that, at least you saved most of your Stable! Besides, you ought to be happy that you allowed Minty to be happy. Nopony likes somepony who's jealous. Shaking my head to shut my brain up, I peered out the window, hearing that rising and falling tone still wailing out in the Mooscow streets. Families were all making way towards the larger buildings, or out towards Hi-fi's Stable, like an old air raid drill we learned about way back in Stable 34. They'd do those every so often so everypony knew to get to safety when the siren sounded. Huh, so this is what the paranoia of the war must have felt like. Sliding into my barding and donning the pair of saddlebags, the bite of the cold air was subdued, but the sound of the siren stayed, a constant whine that certainly did it's job as far as getting attention. Leaving the larger weapons behind, I passed through the reception area and out into the streets, flicking on the radio meanwhile. Hi-fi's voice was replaced by the automated broadast of the CONELRAD system, the siren finally winding down as the inner walls passed by. There hadn't been a second attack yet - yet - but it was good to be ready on the offchance they were just preparing. CONELRAD broadcasted as far as Trotisk, and I'm pretty sure the sirens in Trotisk could be heard in Turnpike, anyways. As the sirens died off, there was a crackle of static through the speakers before Hi-fi's voice came on again - I guess she got the switchboard mixed up or something. This was definitely meant more for her Stable. "A-alright, welcome to Stable 92, er, residents of Mooscow. I... I'm your, uh, Overmare, I guess, Hi-fi. Thank you for coming down and taking refuge as the sirens indicated, this is the first air raid drill we've conducted based on this new threat. Please remain calm, if you need any directions just ask one of the Stable 34 residents, they ought to be able to help. Ahm... I'll come over the broadcast again when they sound the all-clear topside. Hi-fi out." Static fizzled again, and the emergency evacuation messages resumed, the now-quiet streets giving an eerie sensation as I made way towards the hospital. The large cathedral that held the Mooscow Museum was before then, Minuette staring uneasily up into the sky, her degraded lips parting and mouthing silent words. She had sat down upon her haunches, starting to slowly move her hooves about uneasily, as if in a trance. I stepped up to her, wondering if I should say something or not - she was a ghoul after all, maybe the sirens are making her remember... "Ah... Minuette? Is everything alright?" The young ghoul blinked a few times, having lifted up a forehoof as if she was reaching for something, or holding onto somepony. She let off a shuddering breath, a frown forming across her muzzle as her eyes started to become damp, her flaking body heaving as she began to cry in the cold street. "N-no, don't cry! Everything's going to be alright, it's just a test..." I found myself holding Minuette, gently rubbing at the back of what was left of her mane and letting her rest her chin on my shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks. The faint stench of degredation surrounded her, almost covered by the smell of mothballs and dust - she didn't get out of that museum much at all, did she? "Sc-scared, mommy... don't want the bombs, mommy, make th' bad noise stop..." Mommy? What was she calling me mommy for... she was just a filly when it happened, wasn't she? Oh, goddesses, how did that come to happen. They really didn't all go together when they went, not at all. Squeezing the mare in a gentle hug, her degraded flesh squelched against my frontal barding, her shuddering cries slowly turning into soft whimpers as the wind filled the air about us. Standing myself up, I looked to her eyes, seeing her wiping at them with her flaky foreleg and sniffling in some mucus. Couldn't just leave her here like this... "C'mon, why don't you, ah, tag along with me? I'm heading to visit some friends, and you look like you could use the fresh air." Myself passing on a smile, the mare looked up and nodded, easing up from the snow and idly digging at it, still seeming unnerved. I wanted to ask her how it happened, what it looked like, but... maybe some things are better left undiscovered. Pausing for a moment and digging around in my saddlebags, a light smile returned to Minuette's face as I produced two bottles of Sparkle-Cola. She picked one of them up, uncapping it tmidly and starting to slowly sip from it as we headed for the hospital. --- "Oh, hey Twintails, Minty went to the bathrooWHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" Myself and Minuette both stepped inside Cross Stitch's room, the royal-blue unicorn sliding up the length of the old mattress and hiding behind his blanket. Sheesh, it's like he's never seen... oh, right. Minuette hid behind my own body, starting to whimper and cry as the unicorn started flailing for his nightstand. "AAAAH! ZOMBIE PONY! TWINTAILS, SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT DEAD ALREADY!!" Okay, yeah, even I think that it's a bit of an overreaction he's having here. If only I had a snowball... "Cross Stitch?! What's going on, what- oh, hi Twintails, Minuette." Minty soon appeared in the hallway, trotting into the room and looking about it, adjusting his rear barding some. A look of worry crossed his face as he rushed to the side of Cross Stitch, gently resting his hooves against him and looking into his eyes, his non-augmented leg moving to gently rub through his purple mane. Minuette stepped up alongside myself as I moved to one of the chairs, sitting down and watching for the moment. The ghoul mare gently rubbed her head up against me, resting on the floor of the waiting room, watching as the two augmented unicorns whispered between themselves. Idly scratching at my head, Cross Stitch seemed to relax a little the more Minty talked with him, every now and again glancing past the unicorn at myself and Minuette. The ghoul leaned in closer to myself, watching Cross Stitch for a few moments before turning to face me. "W-what's his prob'lm? Didn't even see I wann't a zombie?" She blinked a few times, rubbing at her eyes. Eck, the sound of degrading flesh rubbing degrading flesh is definitely one needing to get used to. Minty held Cross Stitch in a hug, their horns rubbing against each other for a minute and causing them both to blush rather quickly. Huh, who would've figured? "Cross Stitch was the only survivor of Stable 76. He's been in here ever since he was pulled out, he's really never seen a ghoul before. Don't be too afraid, he's just still adjusting." I shrugged lightly, Minuette looking back at the pair. Minty had stood himself back up, looking at the both of us and motioning us to come over. Minuette had a small moment of pause before she lifted herself up, slowly trotting towards the bedside while watching Cross Stitch. I'd stood myself on the opposite side of the bed, a certain tenseness filling the room as the blue augmented unicorn looked at the ghoul mare, putting on a weak grin and waving his hoof at her halfheartedly. Minuette bit at her lower lip - well, what was left of it, anyways - hoofing at the floor. I swear you could cut the awkward with a knife and serve it on a plate... "Stitchy, this is Minuette. She's a ghoul. She doesn't want to eat your brains." Minty chuckled weakly for a moment, gently - that is to say, nearly - resting his foreleg about Minuette's neck. The mare squeaked lightly, looking up through what remained of her mane at Cross Stitch for a moment before looking back to the floor. The purple-maned unicorn rubbed at the back of his head, looking about the room and shuffling underneath the covers. Minuette looked between us, trotting out of the room after a few more moments of awkward silence, much to the visible relief of Cross Stitch. A short way down the hallway, a radio was switched on, the regular radio broadcast resuming as the sirens outside sounded a long, loud note. Minty looked towards myself for a moment, then back at Cross as he sat himself up. "I don't care if they're older than the goddesses, those... ghoul... things, they're really fucking terrifying." Minty shot him a look, then let off a sigh, adjusting his glasses. The royal-blue unicorn blinked a few times, looking to myself and shrugging. "What? It's true. Please tell me that they're the worst things up here in this wasteland-whatever. I mean, besides zebras." Minty in stereo, just wonderful. Rolling my eyes and turning to face the hallway, I glanced down at my own pip-buck, fiddling with the radio settings. Music, news, that sounded good right now. The last few notes of a song faded, and Bert the Turtle came on, the signal fading and mixing a bit - something with the sirens, maybe? "Good evening wasteland, and welcome back from that little test of those two-century-old noisemakers. For those of you who still aren't in the know, a new threat dropped out of the sky four days ago and entirely destroyed Stable 76. There's not much of a happy ending to this one folks, because the only stallion who made it out of there alive was barely living when he was helped into the Mooscow hospital. From what Tom tells me from the descriptions of the attack, it was some kind of kinetic bombardment weapon - in simpler terms, a big old rod of metal that slams into the ground so fast it causes an earthquake. Ain't that just a kick in the dead crotch of whoever owned Stable-Tec, built the damn things so they could survive balefire bombs at their front doors, but a little rod no bigger than a telephone pole can entirely destroy one, eheh..." The radio whined, both Cross Stitch and Minty moving their hooves to their heads, rubbing at their temples. Minty swayed as it passed, blinking in surprise, leaning up against the bed and looking down at his coltfriend. "Anyhow, there's no telling where it might hit next, but better to be safe than sorry. Whoever's controlling it must really hate us to want to do stuff like that. We'll keep you updated as we watch the skies..." The radios whined again, the two augmented unicorns grimacing in visible pain, Minty falling against the floor as he held his temples tightly, grunting and starting to repeat numbers. What the... was... oh no, no, it couldn't be! What was that station doing!? I mashed at my pip-buck, turning the radio off and watching them both. Cross Stitch was dry-heaving - nope, wait, make that vomiting - over the side of the bed, a similar mess forming where Minty was as they both writhed about in agony. I turned the radio off, why were they still doing that!? Unless... down the hall. Pulling Gamma's luger from the holster on my hoof, I looked down to the other rooms, a nurse rushing past me as the whining sound kept up. Radio, radio, where was that radio!? Throwing myself into an open doorway, and giving the attending doctor and patient heart attacks, I glanced madly about the room. It had to be in here, I had to shut it off! A plasticine form caught the corner of my eye on a nightstand, taking fast aim and squeezing at the trigger of the pistol. The .45 caliber round flew through the air and caused the radio to erupt in an electric explosion, fizzling out in the cold air. Dropping the pistol from my mouth, I fell against the side wall of the room, drawing in heavy breaths and relaxing for the moment. The patient in the bed was sitting upright for a few moments before he fell back against the old pillows, the doctor looking confusedly between myself, his patient, and the exploded radio. I put on a weak smile, shrugging and chuckling between breaths. "Never liked that song." --- After being kindly escorted out of the hospital for the day... and clearing more snow out of my nose... the once-empty streets of Mooscow were filling again, shops reopening as the residents returned from their underground shelters. Looking about, all the faces were uneasy, every now and again somepony glancing up towards the sky and scurrying along to their destinations afterwards. While keeping doors open before was probably unwise based on the climate, they all seemed to be shut up tighter than normally, and everypony seemed to have taken to carrying about their perferred weapons a little more readily. The air just seemed a little bit colder as I trogted along, the cold snow crunching underhoof, lights in windowed shops turning on and revealing their wares - wasteland sweet shops, rebuilt from scrap furniture, Razorwing's goods store. Leaving the radio off, the murmurs of uncertainty and fear filled the background noise of the city, a gentle snow beginning to fall once more. I found myself slowing down as I neared the courier office, pausing for a short while and moving a bit more leisurely. A jet-black-maned earth pony was moving some boxes down from the bay window, setting them aside with a bit of effort. Maybe I could get a courier job, if Megaspell mary turns out to be a lost cause. I mean, it wasn't like it was especially difficult work, considering most of the deadlier things in the wasteland generally were either bad shots or landlocked. Could probably see about finding somepony to make a bomber saddle, too - that, or, well, something to let me reload my grenade rifle midair. I found myself lost in thought for the moment, staring at my reflection in the window of the office, my own reflection staring back from behind the crates. wait, what? I blinked a few times in disbelief - my reflection blinked too, longer lashes batting against its cheeks. Tapping a rubber-clad hoof on the glass, the reflection tapped back, reaching over the wooden courier crates marked with faded company logos to meet my own outstretched hoof. I turned my head to the left, the reflection turned accordingly. Spread my wings, so did it. Stuck my tongue out... yeah, that had to be my reflection. I wasn't going crazy, the wasteland wasn't pulling another trick, it's just an optical illusion. That optical illusion just sneezed. Blinking in surprise, mouth agape, I only stared in a bit of wonderment as my reflection... no, wait, that mare, that pegasus mare, that pegasus mare wearing a green duster, and a battle saddle with two auto-rifles, and, and -two tails- trotted over to the desk, pulling out an old box of tissues. The bell above the door rang as I stepped inside, in a daze, smelling the dusty air of old packaging and rusting bottlecaps. At a loss for words, I found myself shuffling on my hooves, feeling rather dizzy - okay, when I said I was getting used to weird, this... this is just a whole new level of weird. Is this what Minty felt when we first stepped inside the Plasma Spaz? My reflection- no, no mirror or glass, what would be the word... mare-me? Me-mare? Sister from another mother? Guh. Whatever-she-is, she turned around and faced myself, tossing the tissues aside. "U-uh..." "Well... yeah, I'm not gonna lie, this is pretty damn freaky, isn't it? I thought Sugar Rush was just hallucinating when she said she saw a stallion that looked just like me, but... goddesses. Name's Flash-Bang." She rubbed at her head, the two auto-rifles jingling at her sides as she moved, just the same way mine did. We both looked over each other in relative silence, before her eyes went wide and she swiftly held me by my cheeks, staring into my eyes. Was -I- this awkward? Sheesh. Letting go of me, she looked out the front window, and then behind herself, beckoning me to move in close. O...kay then, if she kissed me now I think the wasteland weirdness threshold would burst. "Listen to me closely. Have you met a Steel Ranger going by the name Moral Fringe?" We stared at each other for a moment, myself blinking a few times. Steel Ranger? Moral Fringe? "A-ah... uh... I don't think... Fringe? The name, I kind of remember it. I don't know any Steel Rangers by name other than Nova." I thought for a few moments, rubbing at the back of my head. Fringe... wasn't that one of the names Minty pulled out of that corrupted file? Or, was it one of the gate guards... was that the guy I bucked in the crotch? The orange mare inside my head winced - okay, so maybe it wasn't entirely called for, it got the job done and I didn't kill him. Don't look at me like that. Flash-Bang glanced around nervously again, her hooves pulling myself down to the floor of the shop, her voice in a whisper. "His armor is detailed with the insignia of his old unit on the breastplate, and he carries an anti-machine rifle with a distinct muzzlebrake. If you... when, when you meet him, ask him about a pony named Wildfire. -Do NOT- tell him you heard it from me." She poked her head up again, eeping a little and hefting myself over the counter of the shop, dropping me in a mail cart filled with old letters. Yeesh, was -I- this goddess-damned crazy? She looked over and shushed me as I heard the door open, a familiar voice barely heard approaching along with the sound of hooves against the wooden floor. But, wasn't she supposed to still be in Trotisk? "Flash-Bang, thank Celestia. I think that Mossie and Titchbreeze finally found us..." There was a pause, the nervous sound of hooves tapping against the floor heard alongside the shuffle of a canvas bag. Oooh, how I so wanted to peek... "Just listen. I picked this up over the radio a few hours ago." There was a small click, as well as the whine of magic and shuffle of wooden boxes being re-stacked. A staticy recording started on low volume, but you could just barely pick out a mare's voice. By the goddesses, she sounded positively psychotic. "*bzzhrt*...an make a simulation of a megaspell and use one too, and kill a Stable freely with just the sky above, that's tr*fsszzht*...om plasma to broadside cannons, I command quite the arse...*bshzzzt*" The recording ended, and the sound of one of the two leaning up against some of the boxes soon filled in the noise gap. Flash-Bang groaned, one of her hooves smashing against the wooden boxes with a grunt from her, Sugar Rush gasping in a bit of surprise. "Just fucking great, isn't it? That strike had them written ALL over it! We were supposed to have a happy ending here, but... they..." Flash-Bang had begun to whimper, and cry, the sound of the backs of the holders for her battle saddle clinking against the hardwood floors telling she'd sat down. Sugar Rush trotted over to her, myself starting to form quite a few pressing questions... like who thought it was a good idea to mail muffins!? Nope, wait, be serious now Twintails. Use those brains of yours. Flash-Bang's cries had become whimpers and sniffles, the sound of a robotic leg gently stroking against mane and... rather passionate kissing filling the air, before she spoke again. "S-Sugar... what are we going to d-do?" The unicorn mare kissed Flash-Bang again, pausing for a moment of thought. "We'll... we'll find somewhere to go. We'll head east, or, or go west, or north. We'll fly to Zebra lands if we have to." There was a sigh, and they both rose up to their hooves. "No mare left behind. I need to get going, pack my things up. See you in Trotisk?" There was a soft pause, before a light peck at the cheek could be heard, along with the door opening and closing shut. The shop was silent for a few minutes again, Flash-Bang trotting around the counter and looking at myself, reaching a hoof in and helping me out of the old pile of mail... and squished muffins. "I... I think you ought to go now. Don't tell anypony about... this. As far as you're concerned-" I held a hoof up to her muzzle, a light smile on mine as I nodded and looked to her bright-green eyes. She moved to grab my forehoof, but stopped, taking a small step back and letting off a sigh. "Nopony else knows who we're exactly going up against like we do. Don't... don't try to be a hero." I paused, chuckling a little, hoof rested against the door. Flash-Bang looked at me quizzically, taking a small step back and moving over to the boxes against the window again. A grin formed across my face as I pulled open the door, the cold wind of the wasteland blowing in and ruffling our manes, my wings spreading out to meet it. "If you're as much me as Sugar Rush is Minty Candy, you know I'm too crazy to not." The mare stuttered a few times, raising a forehoof, but setting it back down, a small smile appearing on her face. "Twintails, by the way. I'll be seeing you." Stepping out into the cold, wintry street, the bells in the cathedral all rang out noon. Ponies in their own barding trotted about, the stormclouds above dropping a gentle dust upon the streets and faded buildings. A smile stuck on my muzzle, looking up and watching the small flakes falling about, takng a cool, deep breath of the crisp wasteland air, looking out towards the north. For a big problem, you need a big weapon... And a megaspell is as big as they come. ----- I snorted myself awake, my glasses hanging precariously on the end of my muzzle. Pushing them up, both the room and Cross Stitch came into focus. “Finally up?” The royal-blue stallion adjusted a bit, chuckling, being careful not to spill the bowl of grits in his lap. I rubbed the back of my neck and twisted my back, a few cracks emanating from them - ugh, I need to sleep in a real bed one of these days. Cross started to eat, levitating a spoon in his deep blue aura. “The nurse was just in; said they’ll check on me later, but I should be well enough to leave here now.” I smiled a little. “That’s good to hear. Though, eheh, I suppose now we’ll have to find you somewhere else to sleep.” He swallowed the mush, nodding. “Maybe the hotel will sell a room to us. I mean, it's worth a shot, at least..." We sat in silence for a bit as Cross finished up his breakfast. I blushed as my own stomach growled. How long has it been since I ate? Wearing a sheepish smile, Cross Stitch pushed his bowl towards me. Chuckling, I pushed the bowl back towards him, shaking my head. “You sure?” I nodded, himself shrugging and resuming eating. I stood up, rolling my legs a bit so they popped. “So, what exactly have you been doing all this time?” A pit appeared in my stomach as I gently gnawed at my lower lip. Cross Stitch always tried to avoid violence whenever he could, and... after our Stable... I don’t think he’d be too happy finding out about Megaspell Mary. “W-well...” I said, trying to seem as natural as possible. “I’ve been... running things between cities. You know, courier stuff.” Cross Stitch nodded and finished up his food. “We were actually running a package, when... you know.” My voice trailed off. Our ears lowered as the clack of hoofsteps passed us. “How did you even manage to survive that?” Cross Stitch looked at the floor. “I, ah, I don’t know. The Stable shook and groaned, there was a flash, and I guess I was just far enough away from the blast at the time... I really don't know how I wound up at the entrance.” He stared into his bowl for a moment, idly swirling the spoon about, wearing a frown. “It’s just... all those ponies...” Trotting over to him, I leaned in and rubbed my muzzle against the side of his head gently, lifting a hoof to hold around his body. He did the same, resting his head on the back of my neck, both of our eyes watering as we held there for a few moments. He pulled his hooves around me, starting to sniffle, and whimper. There was a knock at the door. We looked up from each other, myself wiping my eyes. The nurse was standing in the doorway, holding a clipboard. “Ah, I’m not interrupting, am I?” Cross shook his head, wiping his own eyes dry. The earth pony mare in tattered surgical dressing trotted forwards, flipping through the papers with a hoof. “Well, it looks like you’ve been doing very well the past few days. Step out of bed and I’ll check you over. Have you been feeling well?” Cross nodded as he swung his hooves over the side of the bed, standing up. His spool and thread cutie mark still kept on his flank - goddesses, has it really been this long since I've last seen him naked? I... I may need to ask him to see about giving this armor some extra size, it's kind of tight around the waist... The nurse inspected him, making a few marks here and there on her clipboard, smiling as she slid the pencil back in the clip. “Well, a few minor cuts are still healing, but nothing I’d be worried about. If you think you’re up to it, you’re free to go.” She smiled, nodding once and turning to trot out of the room. “Thanks.” He replied simply. I hitched up my saddle bags, Cross following me out of the hospital. A pair of ponies were mulling over an old radio with a bit-sized hole in the side - so that's why Twintails was kicked out. The wind blew hard against our exposed flesh, Cross shivering in the makeshift denim jumpsuit. The pants he’d sewn up from my old stable barding weren’t exactly of the warmest material - hell, anything without an interior lining probably counts as 'something you don't want to be caught out in the cold in'. Maybe even a, I dunno, giant hat might help keep some heat. We trotted through the streets, the occasional icicle shattering as it hit the ground ringing through the air and meeting along with the other bustle of Mooscow. I picked up a bag of oats as we passed by a food stand, thanking the goddesses I had enough caps. Could my stomach eat throuugh armored barding? “Hey, Minty, Cross!” Twintails called from down the street, spreading his wings and landing alongside us, a semi-nervous look on his face. He brought his voice down, trying to not let Cross hear. “I just overheard something you’d want to hear. That attack might-” I cut him off, mouthing ‘tell me later.’ He nodded, noticing Cross’s inquisitive look. We walked down the street, a gentle snow falling from the sky. “We’re heading out to the hotel. They might be willing to sell a room to me.” Cross said, breaking the silence with a smile. Twintails nodded and passed on a light smile as I started to eat more oats. Ooh, it’s been way to long since I’ve had a real meal. We passed by Old Colt Johnson, who grinned widely and waved at us. Turning down the street past the cathedral, the hotel appeared on the corner, Twintails looking to the large structure with onion-shaped domes. A bluish blur hid itself in the window as we passed, soon stepping through the inner fortress gateway, and subsequently, the hotel. The receptionist smiled as we entered, myself trotting up to the desk as Cross Stitch and Twintails sat down on the couch, looking around idly. “Ah, do you have any more rooms available?” The receptionist nodded and reached for a key, muself stuttering for a moment as she poked her head back up. "W-well, actually. I was wondering if you’d be willing to sell a room. M-my friend, he, uh, he just came out of our St-... Stable, and needs a place to stay.” The receptionist placed a key on the counter, pausing and thinking for a moment, turning and looking at the small board behind herself. I looked over to Cross and Twintails, who’d pulled the desk with the chessboard out, Twintails setting up a game of checkers. Of course he was using the Sparkle-Cola caps. I couldn't help but smirk as Cross Stitch passed a small look of disgust to him at seeing how many of those bottlecaps he had. The receptionist cleared her throat, prompting myself to turn back around, seeing her holding a clipboard and tapping it. “Hm, I suppose I could for... 400 caps. Don't think I'm picking on him while he's down, I... I mean, I heard about what happened, but I still need to make some money.” She shrugged gently, setting the clipboard down on the counter. I grimaced a little, looking into my cap pouch. 241. Horse-apples. I bit my tongue a bit, trying to think of a way to convince her to lower her price, looking back at Twintails and Cross, who were starting their game. I noticed Cross’s new clothes. “Hey, my friend is a seamster. If he’d be willing to help fix up some of the fabric here, would you be happy with, ah, this?” I placed my caps on the counter, a weak smile on my face. She counted them up, thinking for a minute before scooping them into the cash register, tossing the cap bag back to me. I stuffed it back into my saddlebags, the receptionist giving me the key. Trotting back to Cross and Twintails, they both seemed to be stuck in a stalemate. “Cross, she said she’s willing to give us the room if you help with fixing up some of the place. Curtains, bedsheets, clothes, things like that.” Cross smiled as Twintails scooped the caps back into his saddlebags, grumbling idly. We started to trot up to the room, Cross inspecting the carpet and curtains more closely. “Oh, goddesses, I’d be more than glad to. This place could really use some help...” We reached the room, unlocking it and stepping in. He looked about the musty old hotel room, chuckling a bit. “Maybe I can even set up shop here sometime, too. Nnf...” Twintails sat on the dusty bed, brushing the film off of the blankets. The blue stallion fidgeted, gnawing on his lower lip and crossing his rear legs - okay, maybe it was good I didn't partake in that breakfast. “Dwah, p-pardon me, I need to, ah, use the bathroom...” Cross stepped into the bathroom ratehr quickly, shutting the door behind himself. I know hospital food isn't great, but, yeesh... “What was it you wanted to tell me?” I walked over to Twintails, bringing my voice down a little. Twintails looked over to the door, double checking Cross was occupied. From the sound of things, that hospital food -really- didn't agree with him... welcome to the wasteland, Cross Stitch. The pegasus motioned for me to step closer, to which I obliged - really didn't need the backing sounds, Stitchy. “I was at the courier station, and Sugar Rush came in. I overheard a recording she took off her radio, and it sounds like they know something’s up.” My eyes widened a bit. She wasn’t a spy, was she? And, 'they'? Almost as if he read my mind, Twintails shook his head. “No, no, it didn’t sound like she was working with the ponies who did this. Just, like she knew the ponies who made the attack. And…” He paused for a bit. There was a toilet flush, the sink faucet turning on. “That ranger following us, the one we looked up in the Steel Ponies archives? I think his name’s Moral Fringe. That’s what Flash Bang said, anyway.” I was about to ask who she was, but Cross stepped out of the bathroom, groaning a bit and holding his stomach. Oh, now that really... uck, that just smelled sick. Twintails stood back up, walking towards the door. “Um… Cross? I... I really hate to leave so soon. But… we have… stuff to deal with.” Cross’s ears lowered, his hoof moving to the floor as he trotted up to myself. I pulled him into a hug... making a point to not sniff in too hard. “I’ll be back soon as I can, Cross. Don’t worry.” He squeezed me tighter, nuzzing against my cheek softly. I petted the back of his mane, squeezing him back. “I’ll be alright, Cross. You keep yourself safe.” He gave me another squeeze before breaking the hug. “Just… be careful.” I smiled and gave him a soft kiss on his nose, prompting him to blush as I turned to follow Twintails out of the room. Passing the front desk, the receptionist was idly reading through a magazine, halfheartedly looking up to watch us trot out. We were soon walking out of the hotel, the freshly fallen snow crunching beneath our hooves and cool wasteland air ruffling our manes. Twintails waved a hoof to Razorwing, who was re-boarding up a hole in the wall of his store as we passed by, the griffon waving back with a smile. I need to remember to ask for some caps on that delivery to NEAMO... Bloodbeak opened the door to allow us out of Mooscow, her drummed SMG as we passed. “I know you’re not going to want to, Minty,” Twintails said as the door shut behind us. “But we need to go back to Stable 76. The ship crashed near there and we need to launch it again if we ever want those motors to make it to NEAMO.” I could feel the pit in my stomach drop. Go back? “B-but, what if there are more of those armored ponies there?” My pupils shrank down in horror. “Oh, Celesita, what if my Stable’s become a pack of feral ghouls? I-I couldn’t kill them! I- I-...” Twintails placed a hoof over my shoulder as we trotted down the road. I looked over at him, beginning to think of everything he’d lost. His Stable… Gamma Ray… I didn’t want to think of what I’d have done if Cross hadn’t been ok. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you, either.” Twintails held myself in a hug, both of our eyes watering a bit. After a moment, my pegasus friend held myself out and smiled, looking at my back. I ruffled the metallic wings, spreading them out as he took a step back. "How about a long-distance flying lesson?" --- We were trekking up the mountainside, the tail end of the missile finally coming in view. Just don’t look to the left, Minty, it’s okay. Just don’t look. I did my best to keep my eyes fixated on the rocket, but the occasional rock tumbling snapped my eyes back to the mountain where my Stable entrance... my Stable as a whole, used to be. I tore my gaze away, looking back to the missile. Come on, Minty, you’ll be fine. We fluttered up the last leg, the mountain side being far too icy and steep to get a proper grip. I landed next to the cockpit as Twintails went to inspect the engine. “Well, I guess we should be lucky the snow’s deep up here. I guess KB really was being honest about having the missile ready for us. Glad it kept with being out in the cold for so long.” He opened up a panel, looking inside the rear of the engine. It just looked like a bunch of fanblades and talismans - this thing is what actually was propelling us from Trotisk all the way here? I looked over the cockpit as he went to look at the wings - there weren't even any cracks in the glass, and all the bolts and hinges seemed like new. Buh, weird alien technology... “This thing looks even better than when we found it! And, huh, what...” I took a look in the cargo bay, Twintails pulling out a greenish tube of... green stuff from the cockpit. “The motors are in good condition, just a little dinged. You really want to try to fly this again?” I turned to face him, taking a step back from the missile. “Unless you got landing lessons in Mooscow, I don’t think that’s too good of an idea.” I chuckled weakly, prompting an eyeroll from Twintails. “I guess that’s if we can even get this thing to launch.” I walked over to the engine with Twintails, looking it over for a moment before he shut the latches on the hatches. “You got any ideas?” He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin a bit. “Well… without the launch track, you might have to, well, fling us along. Encompass the missile in your magic if you can, just keep us pointing out of the snow long enough for teh turbines to get up to speed. We... we could wire your horn right into the generators." He chuckled rather enthusiastically, opening up the canopy with a hiss of pressure. "Besides, I think I can figure out how to land it this time… probably.” I grimaced a little at his lack of concern for landing, but at least launching it shouldn’t be too hard. Twintails and I hopped into the cockpit. He fiddled around with some of the wires behind the control panel, pulling out a few and handing them to me. “Alright, let’s see if this works.” I wrapped the wires around my horn, feeling a few sparks fly as the metal made contact with each other. I focused my energy, feeling the electricity flow through the wires in my head, and it beginning to pound as the engine sputtered behind us. The craft lifted up from the snowbank, only slightly, myself really feeling the strain - bwuh, the motors were bad, this felt like I was trying to lift a, a boxcar or something. Just a little more... The engine gave a large roar and steadily increasing whine as flames flew from it. Twintails wrapped a hoff about the control shaft, pushing the throttle fully forwards as a surge met my horn, us floating a little bit higher up above the snow. Ugh… I think I’m going to pass out. I pushed all the energy I could into levitating the missile, the craft giving a lurch upwards as Twintails pulled back on the shaft. There was a jolt of acceleration that sent us both back into our seating positions, myself pulling the wires off of my horn finally, tying them together, panting. Ooh, that was a bad idea... it worked, but it was still bad. Resting my head against the window, I looked down at the ground. Stable 76 was falling away beneath us, the mountain growing smaller as we climbed higher. The pit in my stomach grew a little more as I thought about leaving Cross. I closed my eyes tightly, listening to the whine of the engine and breathing in the warmed air. Maybe a little sleep will help... --- I awoke to Twintails’ repeated swearing, a bright red light flashing on the array of switches and dials. “Shit, shit, shit the fucking bed!!..” Twintails was doing his best to keep the rocket steady as it careened towards the ground. I looked out the window, seeing that we were closing in on the familiar odd green lights of NEAMO. And fast. Twintails looked back at me. “Ooh, fuck me witha fuel rod, we're gonna have to ditch!” He smashed his hoof into the release button, the cockpit’s glass canopy flying off with an explosive latch release. Wind rushed through my mane and ears as Twintails and I shoved off, jumping out of the rocket. My wings flared open, catching the wind as the talismans whirred to life. I fell a few feet before gaining stability, Twintails hovering beside me. We watched and grimaced as the rocket smashed into the ground, plowing through the snow as a few ghoul guards leapt out of the way. The rocket came to a slow halt as Twintails and I dove down to it. “Unf, so much for the cruiser. Hopefully the motors aren’t too busted up from that... You alright?” “Y-yeah. Mostly. You?” I said, terribly shaken. The hatch slid open with a loud screech, allowing Twintails and I to peer inside, some of the ghoul guards moving over towards us. “Well, the motors are a bit damaged, but I’m sure they can be fixed up rather easily. Electromagnets and grease.” White Thunder trotted past the group, his long-barrel revolver being reholstered and angry chuffs of steam coming from his mouth. “What in Celestia’s name did you two think you were doing?! Need I remind you of all the delicate, expensive, and EXPLOSIVE materials we've got stored here? Not to mention we’re going to have a field day with ponies following that trail to see what just shot through the sky, especially with the paranoia of another Zebra attack abound!” He fumed, as other ghouls began to unload the cargo hold. After a moment of regaining himself, he checked the motors over before waving the ponies to begin carrying them into the facility. “We’re lucky the motors are fine, but you two better head inside to talk to the Doc.” He shooed us away before lifting up one of the motors with another ghoul and beginning to haul it into the building. Twintails and I trotted between the barrels of radioactive sludge, our geiger counters clicking as a few more ponies passed us by. We stepped through the doorway, the howling wind muffled by the thick walls and long staircase. I followed Twintails through, keeping my eyes averted from most ghouls. Ech, they still grossed me out a bit. The large doors slid apart to reveal Megaspell Mary, the giant barrel pointing up at the cloudy sky hidden by the egg-shaped dome, the maneframe beside it whirring and clicking every so often as red, amber and green lights continued to flash upon it. The Doc stuck his head out of the barrel, smiling as he saw us. “Well, well, I was sure you two were dead.” He dropped down from the mouth of the barrel onto a maintenance rafter. “That was quite an entrance you made, let’s just hope raiders don’t take that as a sign to invade.” A sarcastic tone held in his voice, though faded quickly as he walked around the motor, moving the belt around the gears and played with the stator. He looked stunned. “Th-these are in amazing condition! I take back everything!” Twintails chuckled a bit. “We’re just happy to see Mary rebuilt.” I nodded along, though something didn’t sit quite right with me when I thought of Megaspell Mary running again. The Doc motioned for us to follow as he hefted up the motor onto his back before walking down a flight of steps towards the base of Mary. I levitated off a panel he indicated before disconnecting the old motor. Goddesses, this thing really did need new ones, the motor I pulled out looked more like a rusty oil can than something that belonged in a factory. He slid the new one in place, connecting various wires and belts, grinning widely. Ugh, do not need the anatomy lesson... “Well, Mary’s certainly not ready for prime time yet. We still need the firing material before we can rid Equestria of striped-skin scum. In retrospect, we probably should have had that shipped over here via Sunrise Castle well before the war had a chance to happen... buh, no matter.” He double checked the placement of the motor, giving a chuckle of elation and climbing out of the maintenance hatch. “If you two keep up this good work, I can devinitely promise you front row seats for the first firing. Might even see if I can't work in footage of the target via that old Equestrian Aerospace Defense place's servers, if that place is even still there.” He chuckled gleefully, getting to the top landing, both of us folloing behind. I could feel the pit in my stomach return. What if somepony else got ahold of Megaspell Mary? What if they managed to fire it off? I thought back to my Stable. The mountain being there, then the next moment… “W-well, let’s hope it doesn’t take too long.” I tried to smile, but it wavered a bit. Twintails raised his eyebrow at me, starting to look a little concerned, slowing down. I looked between him and the Doc, trying to keep the smile plastered to my face. “What’s wrong?” The Doc turned about, his expression becoming more serious as I lowered my head and ears. I kicked a little at the floor with my augmented hoof, a quiet hiss of pressurized air flowing out of the hose. A dawn of comprehension crossed Twintails’ face, quickly replaced by a depressed look. “Oh.” He said simply, biting at his lip for a moment. “Doc… maybe… maybe we might need to think this over.” He said. The Doc spoke up before I could turn away. “What’s the matter? You two aren’t planning on quitting yet, are you?” He asked, a sensation of building fervor in his voice. I tried to say something, but my voice caught in my throat. “Didn’t that strike mean anything to you? We’re still under attack!” He said, his voice getting progressively louder and more hysterical. “The next strike could be any minute now!” I felt my voice unclog as I furrowed my brow. “That’s it, the strike. In case you didn’t hear, but that wasn’t just a random mountain they hit. That was a Stable.” I leaned in, raising my voice. “-My- Stable. So forgive me if I’m not exactly excited about seeing this thing re-activated, if I’m not sure what you’re going to be pointing it at.” Twintails looked between me and The Doc, looking worried, and taking a step back. He had all rights to. The Doc chuckled a bit. “You think I want to fire Mary off at Canterlot, or something? Believe me, there are a million easier ways I could be doing this. I could be sending a distress call, trying to smuggle back the megaspells, hell, just wiring this place's warheads to all detonate at once would be a more efficient plan than trying to recruit some ponies to rebuild Mary.” He stepped closer, our muzzles inches from each other. His expression dropped again, my own wavering for a moment as I could smell his hide. Death, sweat, and decaying flesh. “So forgive -me-, if I don’t take kindly to not being trusted.” I could feel my face growing hot as I stepped closer again, our muzzles almost touching one anotehr. “Your current plan sure seems to be working so far, and this place does seem to have good strategic positioning. Who knows what you’re planning.” Twintails tried to interject, but I just kept speaking, feeling the same anger build up as when I saw the armored pony standing over Cross. “When you’ve seen your home destroyed, and everypony you’ve known-” “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK -I- WENT THROUGH?!” The Doc exploded, pressing in as close to me as he could. “I have had my ENTIRE home destroyed. I knew those shadows you see on the walls, by name, and saw families crawling, running, screaming, begging for help in their last moments. I want to try to stop that from happening again, and now you’re having second thoughts!? You lost two hundred? I lost two -million-.” The Doc stepped back from me, breathing heavily, before turning and walking up the steps. Before he reached the top, he spun himself around to face us again. “You consider that the next time you try to tell me what suffering is." ----- Well, if this wasn't a rather unnerving turn of events. Minty really had some good points in it all, but the Doc... he should know what he's talking about. I mean, goddesses, I couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like for him to have actually seen stallions, mares, and foals all turning into blast shadows. I found myself leaning against the wall of the motor service tunnel, Minty having trotted ahead and out of it already, wearing a stern look as he turned down the hallway to the washing machines and sick bay. Stepping up from the hall, a pair of ghouls inside full work suits trotted past, carrying with them another one of the motors on their way to installing it. The Doc rested against the maneframe, his head hung and rested against his foreleg, the old ghoul regaining himself. "You have a very interesting friend with you, you know. I've never met somepony with such an arrogant attitude, even before the war." The stallion's tattered brown mane fell across his eyes, prompting him to brush it back, his hoof moving to rub along the metallic container for the massive maneframe. He paused for a moment, looking upwards at the massive-bore barrel, myself shuffling a little bit upon my hooves as another pair of workers passed by. "Sunrise Castle Air Base is located directly to the far north of Trotisk, at least, it should be. If the firing material isn't there, then it'd still be in Pripytrot, at the Military Ordnance depot outside the city." The old ghoul turned and faced myself, a look that I just couldn't pin down across his muzzle. "Unless, you're following him, and letting be. The world's changed a lot since you two arrived, both here and out there..." "...and, for some problems at least, I still think Mary would be the answer. Whoever called down that kinetic strike is still out there, and, well... fight fire with fire, right?" I smirked, watching the Doc blink in a bit of surprise. The faint hints of a smile returned to his face, his strained eyes growing soft as he trotted forwards a few steps, taking one of his degraded hooves and resting it upon my shoulder. The odors of heavy metals, aged grease, oxidation and decay hung about him, a faint chuckle escaping his mouth. "A young stallion after my own heart. I'd a feeling I could count upon you..." Yeah, okay then... honestly, I don't even want to know what might be up with him. I mean, two centuries without outside contact, or... you know what, going to stop myself here. I have Featherweight to get back to, I'm going to sleep with him eventually, I just need to focus in on him foremost. The Doc patted my shoulder, trotting up to the gun again with a smile across his face. After a moment of pausing, and blushing... and readjusting my pants... oh, right, gotta get these things washed! And find Minty too, we're probably going to want to set off as soon as possible so we can get back just the same. Stepping out of Mary's chamber and trotting along the hallway, the hum of washing facilities could be heard coming from the room beside the infirmary. I paused for a moment, poking my head in through the door and seeing the ghoul nurse laying down upon the cot, one of her forelegs over her eyes as she seemed to sleep. She rolled over in the cot, sniffling in and burying her cheek into the pillow, blinking for a few moments before lifting her head up, seeing me standing in the doorway. A blush seemed to come to her cheeks, myself returning it and stuttering, chuckling weakly and stepping back from the door, shutting it behind myself. Y-yeah, nice going Twintails, accidentally watching somepony sleeping in their bed, that's totally not creepy at all. Ooh, where's Minty?... "Minty?" My augmented friend's hoof thudded against the floor as he paced about the room, every now and again glancing towards the running washer. Biting at my lip, I watched as he turned to face me, the peppermint on his bare flank plain to see once more. He wore a look that distinctly said 'not in the mood', but still paused and seemed to listen... for a few words, at least. "Look, about what happened... I think-" "I don't want to do this anymore, Twintails. I don't want to keep on throwing myself at death's door, now that I'm with Cross Stitch again." Minty turned and faced the row of washers, trotting up to the running one and resting a hoof on the armor plating of his barding. Letting off a sigh, I trotted myself behind him, looking at the back of his mane. "You understand, right? I'm sorry, but... if the megaspells here are like that warhead, I really don't want that on my mind. I just want to go back to Mooscow and settle down, be happy, you know?" Facing myself, he let off a sigh, his eyes starting to glisten with moisture behind his glasses. His breathing was a little ragged, chest moving rythmically as we stared at each other in the washroom. Shifting my weight about, our eyes stuck again, myself drawing in a breath. "What about that weapon, Minty? What else could stop it besides a megaspell?" The augmented unicorn turned back around, leaning over the washer again. "What about Nova, and the steel rangers? What about... what about Greasy, and Sugar Rush? What about Buzzy and Featherweight, and Bloodbeak and Razorwing? What about Cross Stitch?" He tensed up, the hum of the washers filling the room. Faint whimpers could be heard from my friend as he hunched over, pulling off his glasses and lifting a hoof to wipe at his eyes. "We're the only ones who can actually have a chance at destroying whatever that thing could be. We could save everypony... and I can't do it myself." Resting a hoof on Minty's shoulder, he shuddered, sniffling in and keeping his foreleg over his eyes. I'll be honest, I enjoy megaspells in a controlled testing environment, like a test range, or at the very least some big field where nopony would get hurt, but... sometimes, things just aren't as easily avoidable. Fight fire with fire. Minty stood himself up, looking back at myself as the washer dinged. His eyes were reddened, and he let off a sigh as he slid his glasses back on, nodding once. "Alright. For them." --- "Good afternoon North Equestria, and thank you for keeping your radios tuned to CON-EL-RAD, 640 and 1240 on your AM band reciever! Bert the Turtle chiming in with the daily afternoon news reports, so keep your ears open and hooves off that dial! First up, and foremost on all you observant listeners' minds over in Mooscow, it was reported by quite a few ponies today that there was a weird steel bird flying overhead, shooting fire out it's back end and screaming an ungodly whine. Chances are it crashed near that old bomb crater up in the far north, and since nobody reported seeing a mushroom cloud, I think it's safe to assume it's either a warheadless or old dud cruise missile. No need to be alarmed, probably was just something getting a wire crossed and taking on a mind of it's own out of Trotisk. "'But Bertie, I thought Trotisk was just a simple salvage and weapons town, why would they have cruise missiles?' Good question, my faithful listeners! As it turns out, a mare familiar to anypony with a penchant for perusing particularly prolonged pieces of mechanical literature actually was holed up in her factory's basement for all those long years after the war! Greasy Gears to anypony who's more of the 'I shoot things' variety, all in all one pegasus ghoul who knows her way around a whole lotta electric stuff. From what Tom's told me, the R&G Manufacturing company was working on pony-piloted aircraft from rebuilt cruise missiles before everything went to hell - who knows, maybe somepony survived the hundreds of hellhounds long enough to have a joyride. My regards to the mad bastard pancaked in that crater, thanks for making the gene pool a little less retarded! "Now, in other news, directly from our storm warning center's own weather stallion Tom Neighrer we have reports of one doosey of a blizzard system rolling in from the northeast of Quebuck. We don't advise travel unless absolutely necessary in the next few days, this puppy seems like it'll be long-lasting. Anyways, that's the evening news reports folks, we'll have some music playing for you right now! Up next, an oldie but a goodie, Vera Lynn reminding all of you saddened souls out there that no matter what, there's always the chance that We'll Meet Again. Enjoy~" --- Oh goddesses, this was almost worse than that first night we trapsed out into the wasteland together. Minty had kept his horn glowing bright and feeding some power to that little heat lamp, the air about us just barely livable as the wind cut through like a blade. Note to self, buy a friggin' face mask sooner or later! Teeth gritted and mouths shut, we powered on, hardly able to see our hooves in front of our faces - thankfully, we remembered that our EFSs came with compasses this time. We keep heading to the north/northwest, we'll run into Sunrise Castle Air Base sooner or later... in retrospect, we probably should have brought a tent. "When are we gonna get out of this goddess-damned storm!?" Minty was leaning against the wind, his augmented hoof leaving a distinct deep mark in the soft snow, just barely visible after a few minutes due to how much of the white stuff was flying about. I glanced down at my own Pip-buck - we were way far in uncharted territory. The little indicator for our rough location even called where we currently were the 'Big Empty'... lovely. My unicorn friend looked back, a hoof moving to rub at his temple as the light from his horn sputtered out. Moving in close to him, the wind bit at us both, howling around in our ears and drowning out most other sound, forcing us both to yell just to hear one another. "I can't find any more spark batteries! What're we going to do?!" "I dunno! We gotta keep moving, I guess, this storm can't last for MUCH longer!" Wrapping a wing around Minty, I held him close to myself, feeling the pitifully small amount of heat coming from the lamp. Well, at least our soda will be kept cold! Along with everything else... another gust of wind cut at our exposed skin like a burst of tiny daggers, prompting us both to duck. Ooh, if only I had a balefire egg, I could blast us both a crater to shelter in. Forty millimeter grenades had a kick, but they wouldn't be enough to do it. The gust died down, and we both stood up on our frozen limbs and continued onwards. Minty seemed to be stumbling a little more, looking down at his augmented hoof with a grimace. "Fuck! The fluids are f-freezing up! C-can't move the d-damn thing!" He beat his leg against the snow, it remaining stiff and otherwise just thudding with each impact. Sliding around to the other side, I lifted up his augmented leg onto my neck - damn, this thing was heavy! - and switched the wing around, holding him close again. We couldn't stop, we'd freeze ourselves to death if we did. Minty's breaths hung in clouds that were whisked away by the wind, his eyes barely open as we fought against the storm. I peered ahead, trying to see some sign of shelter - what I saw instead was a helmet lamp. Blinking a few times, I tugged Minty along through the snow, us both stumbling a bit before making way, the icy blast whipping around us. The light bobbed as the figure who wore it moved - oh, please be friendly, please be friendly, please be friendly... "The right hell are you doing out here!? Are you both insane?!... don't answer that." A voice with a rather distinct and strangely familiar accent came from the figure, the form of a set of steel ranger powered armor moving towards us, along with the barrel of a very large rifle mounted upon it. The figure helped lift up Minty, a thick blanket moving out of a case on his armor in a light-bluish aura that gave off an ozone smell, wrapping around all three of us. "You're both mad to be all the way out here, you know. This storm isn't going to-" Minty let off a sound halfway between a scream and groan, the hoof that was being supported by the steel ranger rushing to rub against his temple. The steel ranger rushed to get his armored hoof underneath Minty's body, the visor of his helmet rushing to glance between Minty and myself. "The hell's wrong with him?!" "SevenTEEN... FORTY-siX... nine... THIRTY TWO!" A small stream of blood dripped from Minty's nose as he rattled off a stream of random numbers through gritted teeth, inbetween screams of pain. Holding out a hoof around his neck, I watched as my augmented friend began to dry heave between numbers, the steel ranger leaning in then pulling back and holding Minty's head with a hoof. The contents of Minty's stomach sizzled in the snow, the augmented unicorn shuddering as his weight shifted, the both of us moving to try and catch him. The wind blew harder around us both, the blanket being whipped in the air before the horizon - at least, what I think was the horizon - lit up in a brilliant greenish white. Twice. "Fuck me with a fuel rod, GET DOWN!" Without thinking much about it, I threw Minty into the snow and wrapped a hoof around the neck of the steel ranger, pulling them both down and hefting the blanket over us all. One balefire bomb was awesome, two... okay, well, yeah, two was twice as awesome, but who knew how far away those two were!? The ranger grunted, getting his hooves underneath himself again and lifting his helmet from the cold snow, turning to face myself as I braced and hung onto the edges of the blanket. The wind roared above, mine and Minty's breaths condensing into clouds as we huddled in the impromptu blast shelter. The ranger semed to stare between us both in disbelief, lifting his head up with his forelegs. "What the bloody hell is going on!?" He screamed at us both in the confined space, that strangely familiar accent I felt I'd heard somewhere before thick in his voice in the moments before it was drowned out by the roaring thunder of the first balefire warhead's shockwave blasting over us, snow covering the blanket outside as it rode along it. Oh goddesses, that ringing in my head, that was going to take a lot of getting used to... breathing heavily in the wake of the blast, I looked about to see Minty clutching his ears in rather intense pain, a bloody smear across the white coat on his muzzle, and the Steel Ranger similarly seeming to cringe inside his armor. That was one, the second must be further away. I braced and jammed my hooves into my ears, holding the edge of the blanked down with the joints in my forelegs and wrenching my eyes shut. This day was just getting better and better, wasn't it? A second thunderous roar overtook us all, shaking the ground and throwing more snow onto the blanket over us, the permafrost trembling underneath our bodies and making me really want to get off the crazy funhouse called the world for a while. The steel ranger stood himself up, climbing out from underneath the blanket and casting it over, the clear, dark skies above being cut to the east by a pair of massive, rolling mushroom clouds. I rose to my hooves, tapping against the side of my head and hearing the sounds fade back in, blinking and watching the pair of clouds cutting through the sky. The air felt rather still now, the snow-covered steel ranger staring up at the pair of clouds in silence as well. A few weak chuckles escaped my mouth, Minty letting off a groan and sitting himself up, holding his head. "Buh... oh, not again..." "Not -again-? What do you mean by not -again-?!" Boy, this guy liked to yell. The pair of clouds seemed to level themselves in the sky, the clear night shining brilliantly as the thin clouds hadn't a chance to regroup and cover it again yet. Oh, look, look, there's the moon! And, and the stars! Goddesses, I'd forgotten how beautiful it was... it wasn't moving as fast as I remember, the last time I saw it. The ranger seemed relatively unphased - besides the obvious, I mean - trotting over to Minty and helping him up onto his hooves. My friend stumbled a bit, regaining himself and trotting beside me, his gaze moving between the clouds. The ranger really didn't seem that amused. "Would somepony like to get me up to speed on things here?!" "So, what, that's three balefire warheads that landed and didn't detonate now? How many more of these things d'you think there are around here?" The augmented unicorn tapped against the side of his head a few more times, grimacing as he looked down to his frozen leg. Pulling out the heat lamp, he set it against it, looking up across the nighttime sky. "What caused 'em to go off, though? I mean, I think I kinda blacked out for a bit... friggin' numbers were harrassing me..." Minty pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes idly, sitting down in the snow. Our geiger counters began to click lightly, the steel ranger trotting about and looking over the both of us, seemingly rather unamused and holding a hoof against his helmet. Minty blinked a few times, putting his glasses back on and looking up at him, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Ah, who're you?" "You... I... bloody hell, you're both mad, aren't you?" The ranger shook his head, trotting away from us for a few steps before pausing. There was a hiss of air and motion of mechanical parts as he pressed a button on his helmet, the whole thing sliding off and revealing a shaggy brown mane against a dark green coat. That crackling magic aura resounded again, pulling a cigar from a pocket on his armor and lighting it, as well as pulling out a soft hat that he placed upon his head. He took a long draw off of the cigar, huffing out a thick grey cloud and turning about to face us both. Hey, I think I recognize that mustache... "Knight Fringe of the Steel Rangers group operating out of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense center. I'm just here to make sure you don't get your sorry flanks torn a new one." Oh, well, how nice of him! Not often you have somepony-... did he say Fringe? "Fringe... Moral Fringe?" I stood up, Minty moving his augmented leg idly and looking at us both. The stallion tensed, his teeth biting the nub of his cigar as his eyes opened in surprise. Trotting forwards, he stood firm, huffing out another smoky cloud - eck, that smell was going to take some getting used to. More important things happening right now, Twintails, get your head right. Dropping my gaze down to the breastplate of his armor, snow clung to it in thick swaths, covering much of it. He seemed to flinch as I raised a hoof and wiped the metal clear, seeing the same symbol I'd caught that first time back in Trotisk; a pair of pegasus wings either side of a short sword, a banner wrapped around them with three words upon it. 'Who Dares Wins'. "You... you were the one back in Trotisk... and, and again in Quebuck..." Our eyes met again, and he took a step back, the barrel of his large rifle just barely brushing against myself. Moral Fringe... Flash-Bang. "Who's Wildfire?" "Who told you that name, where did you learn it!?" O-kay, note to self, power armor is very heavy and ponies wearing power armor are also consequently very heavy, especially when angry! I felt my mane dragging in the snow as Fringe held his hooves on my chest, staring at me with quite a bit of unbridled fury in his eyes. Needless to say, I'm once again glad NEAMO has working wash facilities. He breathed his smoke-laden breath heavily, the tinkling of magic and whine of three energy weapons being brought to bear heard beside us in the few moments we layed there. Um, Minty, I think his metal armor is a very good conductor of electricity, and is currently very much on top of me! "If you're thinking about blasting me away, you'd better not miss." Fringe's eyes seemed to soften a bit, the power-armored stallion climbing off of myself and helping me back up, both of us looking over at Minty. He'd managed to bring out practically everything he had listed as a weapon in his pip-buck inventory, aiming them all at Fringe for the time being. A rock, really? With a bright blush and small whimper, my augmented friend re-packed his saddlebags, the largest of his weapons vanishing in bright flashes of light that slid into his pip-leg. There was a bit of an awkward silence, myself adjusting my barding again and looking up at the sky. The clouds were re-forming, and the wind was picking back up - balefire blasts could only do so much. "We ought to get moving, the storm'll be back fast. Are there any settlements nearby?" Looking over at Fringe, he seemed to pause in thought, taking another draw off of his cigar and releasing it out into the frigid wasteland air in a thick cloud. Minty rubbed at the back of his head, gnawing on his lower lip and moving his augmented leg about, the first few wisps of snow falling around us. The power armored stallion grunted, starting to trot forwards, farther north. "One town, two klicks north and half a klick west from here. Records state the inhabitants as being mostly harmless... haven't been there myself yet. C'mon." He took another draw from his cigar, moving the nub about and letting off a light grunt. Minty and myself looked at each other, myself checking that the grenade launcher was still secure on my back and pulling the bit for my rifles up, Minty likewise slinging his bigger goop rifle onto his back and trotting along. The wind took up much of the silence as we caught up with Fringe, my augmented friend taking a moment to admire the large-bore rifle mounted upon the armor, and the suit of armor itself. He stopped in his trotting for a moment, tapping a hoof against his chin. "What's a klick?" --- "Welcome back to Roughcoat Radio, your all-stop station for news and talk out here in the big empty. For those tuning in, I'm your flaky radioactive master of the airwaves Dead Air, and my radio is always tuned in, to -you-. Now, we've got some news for you fine folk 'round in Topatow and the Scab, as some of my more striped listeners have pointed out. Pray your hearts don't stop again, because apparently there're more old missiles to the far southeast of Topatow, and they apparently do have live warheads - or, well, they did, anyways. One avid listener of mine, and a bit of a personal friend, Nikolai, he said he'd seen two flashes and two mushroom clouds just a few hours ago. Luna forbid someone stumbled across 'em and figured that getting blasted twice'd turm 'em into some kind of super-powerful goddess or somethin' - balefire bombs do NOT work that way, all my kiddies. If you need a boost, try and dismantle the warhead, not set it off. "Anyways, you all know the usual drill, I'll be rambling over this thing all day, so anybody with a functioning shortwave can feel free to chime in and give me a buzz. Just don't be a complete cunt and override my signal, y'hear? I know I don't exactly have a powerful station, but the wasteland already has enough assholes to contend with that someone overriding a radio signal is just really fuckin' low. If you're out there and listening you spineless bastard, why don't you take that big antenna and shove it so far up your ass you'll b*Zzzzzzzrt...fssshhhhzt... Pshzzzzrzt...* "...16...27...24...36...9...86..." --- "You know... even I'm a little surprised to see this here." Fringe had put his helmet back on... after the third cigar... as we neared the settlement just visible on the horizon. From a distance it looked like a pile of sheet metal jutting from the earth, surrounding the tail end of one very mean-looking missile. Minty was understandably uneasy about moving forwards and in, judging by what he just couldn't stop staring at - on the body of the rocket that was visible, the white metal was covered every now and again by a black stripe. Or, was it black body covered in white stripes? Something like that, I guess. Fringe looked over at us, nodding towards the town. "Topatow this place is called, from the records. You hear that clicking? Ghoul territory." "I'd rather keep my coat where it is now, thanks..." With a shudder and gulp, the second anti-radiation pill slid down my throat, settling in my stomach and dropping that red number in the corner of my vision down to a more manageable 1-2 Rad per second. Minty had done the same, keeping mostly quiet as we closed in on the town, the little N in the corner of my vision pointing straight towards it. Even as I shuffled about, it stayed right where it was, aimed straight at that town... weird. The front gate seemed to consist of a pair of very massive - and thick - pieces of metal, a ghoul dressed in combat armor peering down from the upper walkway, holding a battle rifle... how do ponies stand on their rear haunches and fire like that!? "Hold it there, smoothskins, what's your business?" Minty chuffed out a long breath, staring up at the stallion and matching glares. I blinked a few times, peering up to try and get a closer look at the rifle he was holding - did it have stripes on it? Weird. Fringe stepped forwards, the wind around us kicking up another plume of snow. "We're traveling from Mooscow, thought we could get past the storm my heading north but our supplies were all lost. We just need some shelter till it passes!" The ghoul gatekeeper seemed skeptical, uneasily trotting - no, uh, walking... how do they do that!? - over to a control panel. There was a whine of a steam turbine, the heavy steel doors parting down the center and opening a few feet, revealing the main town that seemed to be built around the impact crater. Minty stuck close beside myself, keeping his mouth held tightly shut as we followed behind Fringe, the gatekeeper watching us all. "Welcome to Topatow, don't cause any shit or I'll blow your brains out." The power armored stallion froze up for a moment, letting out a shuddering breath and continuing on further down the crater. The missile itself stuck out haphazardly from a pool at the bottom, steam evaporating from the glowing water's surface and several forms swimming about in it, all of them with threadbare manes and degraded skin. Well, I guess even ghouls have to find some way to relax themselves. Minty took to biting tightly at his lower lip, spotting one of the figures climbing out of the pool, the red streaks in his grayish coat cutting through black stripes. I stuck a hoof out upon his chest, holding him back and snapping him a stern look. Don't you even think about it... "So... how soon can we leave?" We caught up with Fringe, the stallion stopping outside of an open-air shop, a radio on one end of the counter playing the voice of another ghoul. Minty had his teeth thoroughly gritted, bouncing nervously upon his hooves as he tried to contain himself when he finally got a good look at the shopkeeper - another zebra. She wore a rather cheerful smile... at least, as cheerful as degraded coat and exposed muscle would allow... and pulled up a small box of very high caliber ammunition, pushing it across the counter to Fringe. He tossed down a decently-sized bag of caps upon the counter, dropping the box of point-five-o bullets into a port on his armor with the ozone-smelling magic and turning about to face us. "If the reports I get from EQUAD are true, we'll likely be here for a few more hours at most. Why, what's your rush, anyways?" Minty was breathing long, deep breaths, looking around the town, a mix of frustration and anger building on his face. The radio on the counter whined loudly, and that expression of murderous intent soon changed to one of pain, my augmented friend falling against the counter and holding his forehooves to his temples. Oh, shit, not again, don't get sick again Minty... he began to sprout off a string of random numbers again, the shopkeeper, some passers-by in the town, and even the ghouls who were relaxing in the pool at the bottom all turning eyes to him. There was a small humming sound, myself trying to figure out what could be causing these weird episodes - let's see, the radio? Well, no, because the last time this happened was when we were walking in the storm, and after he started sprouting off the numbers, those two warheads... My eyes went wide, vision snapping to the sight of the giant striped missile sticking nose-first into the bottom of the crater. "Oh, fuck me with a fuel rod."