//------------------------------// // Chapter 4.5 - The Painful Road // Story: Fallout Equestria : Black And White // by Philweasel //------------------------------// Their exit from North Loading was bittersweet, to say the least. Fluttershy did her best to rally tired spirits, to treat the injured and give hope for the trials ahead... but the simple fact was that they were never going to win. "We will travel upwards, and settle on the outskirts of the capital." Jezminda stated with an air of grim resignation, gathering mementos from her shattered office as she went. She stopped as she reached the large hole in the wall, looking out upon the city beyond, "We should have just ran." Fluttershy had to admit, she couldn't find a good rebuttal to that. Sure Dust Kicker would be able to justify it in terms of the greater struggle, but the fact of the matter reminded that lives had been lost for little immediate benefit, "You'll be back. We've already shown that Starhammer isn't invincible." "Starhammer will burn this place to the ground." She bitterly retorted, her lip quivering slightly, "I would do it myself, but I... can't." Fluttershy dropped her head. What was there to say? "I'm sorry." "General Biscuit always wanted to die in battle." Jezminda stated, a slight smile crossing her tearstained face, "At least he's happy." ¬ Fluttershy walked along the surrounding wall, taking the chance to just... relax, and appreciate the sights. The Mutum wasn't heartland NCR, and it certainly wasn't pre-war Equestria, but the simple fact was that this place had arisen without the gardens. That it has arisen from refugees, ponies and zebra both, who instead of killing each other had formed one of the most functional societies in the pre-war world, long before the NCR was even a glint in Gawd's eye. They had fought off numerous bandit incursions, an enclave invasion and the assault of a demon Fluttershy would have shivered at even with the elements at her back. And it was beautiful, the golden swaying grass, the spiky, crooked trees with leaves of burnished amber. The sun shone overhead, pounding and fierce, it was easy to remember that on two sides the Mutum was surrounded by desert. Still she was never hot, the open plain constantly swept by a cool, nurturing breeze that refreshed and rejuvenated. Ahead was another zebra, Fluttershy quickly recognizing Decimus even without his helmet. He too was looking out across the plains, turning to her as she approached. Fluttershy gave him a smile, "You were right, it really is beautiful." "Thank you." He acknowledged, turning back to the view, "This was the site of the first zebra empire." "I know." "They say alicorns walked the halls of the first empire, that it was they who took zebra from the Mutum and brought them to the lands beyond the Crystal Mountains. There they divided those zebra into Earth, Unicorn and Pegasi, and created the first ponies." He looked down, emotion flickering across his face, "We walk upon the birthplace of all equine races." Fluttershy looked into the far distance, the great peaks to the west just visible, "The first zebra came down from those mountains right?" Decimus nodded, "They were looking for food, and some bolder zebra decided to brave the great forests far from their mountain caves. They were forced to build shelters from the mud, and permanent settlements forced them to plant and grow their own crops. They say the All-mother, oldest of all dragons, grew amused at their struggles. That she came down and offered some of her fire to them, allowed them to cook, and bake bricks for their houses." Fluttershy saw the irony, "I came here before, back before the war. It was a wasteland." Decimus looked to her, brow furrowed, "Lord Caesar said the same." "Little would grow, just bracken and weeds, poking out of baked mud." Fluttershy looked around, wondering if she had visited this area back when it was just an ugly expanse of nothingness, "I guess Equestria saw little reason to fire megaspells here." "They say a roaming group of shaman bearing staves of silver came here, that they planted those staves across the land. That they purified the soil, allowed plants to live and provided safe water to drink." Decimus turned, squinting against the sunlight before pointing to the horizon, "We will pass one of the few known locations where one is preserved, it is on the road towards Saddle Arabia." Fluttershy definitely wanted to take a look at that, "Now that sounds interesting." ¬ The road passed through dozens of small farms as they moved south, all of them abandoned, several showing signs of looting. Fluttershy found it more unsettling than any pre-war ruins, the near intact 'normality' of it making those imperfections so much more striking. Ibis had sent most of her unit on a long path across the plains, hoping to draw any pursuit away. As a result it was just her and two of her unit, now unmasked and just as chatty as their leader. They were also just as cheerful and irrelevant, yet Fluttershy kept her distance. She had seen their type before, rough and boisterous elites, confident and proud of their talent for causing death on a large scale. "I would like to boast that all of the Emir's troops are so well trained and equipped." Ibis confirmed during a conversation with Dust Kicker and Ace Gold, "But I have to admit that we're some of his best. Trained in operations like this, search, retrieve, destroy." Ace Gold looked between the three, "Are you all zebra?" "Most of us." Ibis proudly proclaimed, flashing a big grin, "The camels learned our value long ago. Zebra are the world's greatest soldiers, loyal, disciplined, strong, tough and possessed of unshakable will. Just look at how they fought against Equestria, outnumbered ten to one and they still gave you a fight!" "This is what angers me." Decimus interjected with a growl, glaring at Ibis with contempt, "That is all the Camels believe we are? Warriors? Killers? Ibis smirked back at him, "It's what we're best at. There's no shame in celebrating it. Camels are great organizers and masters of finance, ponies make the most supreme artists, minotaurs possess massive strength and height, and griffons never give up in even the most desperate situations." Decimus snorted, "You cannot reduce a race of millions to one defining attribute." "But it helps organize a persons place in society if you have a starting point on which to base your assumptions." Ibis responded, grinning widely and seem to be very much enjoying the debate, "It's no different from judging on build, or how you speak." "You cannot organize the life of another, like they were just a cog in some grand machine." "It seems to have worked ok so far." Ibis glibly responded, "Out here, no zebra knows their place. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and as a result you have bred a society of the selfish, everyone only concerned for their own happiness. We possess a society where the greater whole is more important than any individual part, where the most noble path is to abandon ego and accept the role which fits your talents best." Decimus looked to the two other zebra walking beside her, his tone cutting, "I notice your two subordinates are staying very quiet. I wonder, is delivering self serving propaganda for your masters one of your special talents?" Ibis chuckled, "It clearly isn't one of yours." Decimus tensed and everything suddenly went very quiet, only for the praetorian to quickly calm himself and relax once more. He took a deep breath before speaking, "What about using your disrespectful personality to rile others into making stupid mistakes?" She laughed, "Now that's a talent that's served me very well in the past." ¬ It was about six hours into their journey that they reached the mid point of their journey, the town of Thunderfall. Fluttershy questioned the name, the pleasant, sleepy settlement hardly seeming to warrant it. The war seemed far from this place, many of the shops they passed on the way in sold art and crafts and the guards were friendly and courteous. The mayor soon came out to see them, an elderly zebra with a long grey beard who welcomed them warmly. "If Starhammer comes this way, we will surrender without a fight." He stated firmly, before shrugging his shoulders, "Though I am told he passed through this place many times when he was just a simple zebra. He admired our museums, and he liked the art we made. I hope those old memories will keep us safe." Fluttershy had expressed an interest in these museums and it was decided that they would have the next morning to look around before they continued on their journey. And so she greeted the early morning skies the next day, meeting up with Ace and heading off to see this legendary silver staff Decimus had spoke of. Fortunately the owner of the museum was out raking the leaves as they approached, and was only too eager to open up for her. A middle aged pony by the name of Gardener Birch, he boasted that his family had cared for this place since the bombs fell. He showed them many artifacts from that time, the journals of survivors, personal items of shaman who had passed through the area, mementos of great leaders and tribes. One item instantly caught her attention as they passed, unable to stop a gasp escaping as she looked upon the layers of green silk, "This is..." "Princess Lightning Dust's wedding dress." Gardener Birch confirmed, "She and Prince Nashar were married here, and the Princess always remained fond of the Mutum." Fluttershy looked at the dress, remembering the ceremony. She had been there. Rainbow Dash too, all too eager to point out the unlikely match. Truth be told... they had been good for each other. Her boldness had countered his tendency to dream rather than act, and her aggression was tempered by his thoughtful kindness. Both valued the traits of the other, and Lightning Dust had honestly had made a far better wife for him than Fluttershy ever could. "And here is the center of the collection." Gardener Birch declared, opening up a pair of double doors into the center of the building, "The Garden Staff." Fluttershy took in the object before her, so very familiar despite the fluttering slips of parchment that had been tied to it. It brought back sad memories, indeed the last time she had seen an object like this had been... "That's a garden rod!" Ace exclaimed from behind, trotting past to stare in wonder at the object. Indeed it cut a rather mystical image imbedded in a square of dirt in the centre of the room, a tall rod of steel about twice the height of a pony with various ports and sensors set along its length, along with a series of clear glass bottles screwed into its surface. Gardener Birch had done a good job maintaining it, only a few spots of corrosion marking it as anything less than new. It certainly looked a lot better than the previous one they had found, Ace looking back at Gardener Birch and explaining his excitement, "These were placed across Equestria by the Ministry of Awesome, they helped remove the poison from the soil." "Ministry of Awesome huh?" Gardener Birch acknowledged with a pleased smile, reaching into his jacket pocket with his muzzle and pulling out a silver locket on a chain. He deposited it onto the table, shifting his hoof across it and easing it open to reveal an embossed lightning bolt symbol on one side and a line of text on the other. He read it out to them, "Lieutenant Crimson Lancer, Equestrian Army. My great great grandfather." "You know what this means Ace?" Fluttershy stated, feeling a warm glow spread through her at the very idea, "The Ministry of Awesome operatives in this country... they spent their years after the war trying to help, same as any other. They healed this land." Gardener Birch grinned broadly at this, "According to grandfather, the others all set up staves of their own before being retiring their commissions. It was agreed that they should have no contact with each other, that they should try and forget their old life." That made Fluttershy's obvious question rather more difficult, still she was hopeful for something at least. After all this was proof, proof that parts of the ministry survived the war... "A pegasi I know... she thinks Rainbow Dash came here after the war, tried to meet up with others. Do you know anything about that?" Sadly Gardener Birch just gave a shake of his head, "I'm sorry, I've never heard any record of Rainbow Dash travelling here." Fluttershy sighed, took much to ask she guessed. Still... "What about Senior Operations Manager Cloud Abacus? He was head of operations here, before the war." "Hmm..." Gardener Birch scratched his chin with a hoof, "I don't know anything about Cloud Abacus, but Great Grandfather apparently stated that his boss and communications chief stayed behind in base command, helped set up and co-ordinate the old communications network that used to connect up the Mutum." Fluttershy felt like she was finally on to something now, looking over at Ace to explain, "Cloud Abacus was Rainbow Dash's husb... partner. Rainbow Dash mentioned to me that he was commanding operations in the zebra territories." She looked back at Gardener Birch, desperately hopeful, "If it was part of the communications network then there has to be some zebra who knows where it is right?" Gardener Birch raised a hoof, giving her a calming look, "I said 'old' communications network. The Enclave destroyed it during their invasion, most of the towers have long since been torn down for scrap." "There's no way of locating them?" "Sorry missy." Garden Birch reluctantly explained, "Plenty of others have tried." Fluttershy looked to Ace, he was always good at this sort of thing, "Ace?" The buck looked thoughtful for a moment before finally giving a nod, "Ok... there's a computer connected to this rod yeah?" Gardener Birch hesitantly nodded, then moved over to the far wall, "You'll treat it with respect, yes?" Fluttershy gave him her most sincere smile, "Of course!" "Ok..." Gardener Birch opened up a panel, exposing a keypad. A few short punches and another larger panel opened up with a whine, revealing an old but perfectly maintained console, "Here it is. I warn you, it's encrypted." "It's alright, I've done this before." Ace stated confidently, stepping over and starting the complex process of hacking the device. He started slowly but quickly began to speed up, smiling happily after a moment or two, "Heh, Equestrian Encryption. I've been getting used to Zebra style operating systems... alright, I'm in." Fluttershy moved over, reading as he began to open up some of the messages on the system. Progress Report : Gardens site 367 – 24 Blooming, 17AB Camp Thunderfall is now home to just over two hundred refugees, General Thantha having organised a team of engineers to extend and maintain the water purification systems taken from the UPE Thunder. He has also been providing locations of military stockpiles, invaluable given the number of sick and injured has been stretching my staff to their absolute limit. As perhaps the only remaining functional hospital zebra have been travelling from hundreds of miles away, inevitably exacerbating their symptoms. All the same, we are making progress. I only hope the same is true elsewhere, and that when these clouds clear we’ll have the infrastructure in place to allow civilisation to bloom again. Operative Crimson Lancer Ace opened a few more before skipping to the last message, lip curling slightly. Progress Report : Gardens site 367 – 10 Falling, 49AB This is my final report, as per operational instructions. I have made sure my grandson understands how all this tech works, but have instructed him to only use the military channels in an absolute emergency. The boy is a great engineer, and will continue to maintain this place long after I’m gone. I am 83 years old, and I am dying of cancer. It’s not a bad age to go. My wife Kaiessa has given me three children, and they have given me five grandchildren. Each and every one of them has made me proud. Thunderfall has evolved from camp, to village, to city, and now is considered to be the greatest settlement in the Mutum. The hospital I established is famed far and wide, and... I am satisfied. I cannot remember Equestria, save in my deepest dreams. But I do not morn the loss. I am glad to die and be buried in this soil. Operative Crimson Lancer “This place used to be a city?” Ace Gold questioned. Gardener Birch gave a sad nod, “You are standing in the hospital. The Enclave attack destroyed much of the settlement, and Thunderfall lay almost completely abandoned for several years.” He waved to another message, one of the few sent to the terminal, “That was the first warning we got of what was to come.” ....................... This is an automated message broadcasting across all channels. Priority alert. MoA communications hubs have received pings bearing pre-war Equestrian code, originating from United Pegasus Enclave airships. Signal is approaching rapidly. The United Pegasus Enclave have been outed as traitors and criminals, hostile to both zebra and pony alike. The purpose of any large scale migration is most likely to be invasion. Broadcast this message to every zebra on the surface, prepare to defend yourselves. To all MoA assets still in the field, Equestria expects you to defend your friends and families to the last, and suffer no traitor to corrupt our flag. Loyalty, honesty and kindness. Harmony guide you all. ..................... "That was the last communication received before the Enclave destroyed the network." Gardener Birch confirmed, his voice heavy with regret, "We tried, but we couldn't hold against them. All the MoA were long dead by that point and we had no central government to guide us, the Enclave simply set up in the air and shelled us until we surrendered." "Yeah, they tried to kill us too. Three times, at my counting." Ace stated bitterly, before grinning to himself, "And three times we've kicked their ass." "Maybe it helped in the long run." Gardener Birch noted with a bittersweet tone, "The oppression of their rule helped bind us together as the Mutum, and paved the way for Tandia and her friends to arise as heroes." He chuckled, "Clear Voice, of the radio DJ's Sharps and Voice, he was a member of the Enclave that eventually joined Tandia in saving us all. There's an unusual number of pegasi in the Mutum overall, the Enclave bugged out in such a hurry that hundreds were left behind." Fluttershy nodded, happy that it had ended well, "The same happened in the NCR, Deadshot Calamity is one of our greatest heroes and a former officer in the Enclave forces." "I've heard a lot about these zebra heroes, Sharps, Voice, Tandia..." Ace stated, moving away from the computer for a moment to face Gardener Birch, "Tradash the Black was a member too right?" Gardener Birch nodded, "Tradash, Zaneious, Tandia, Kale, Sharps and Voice. They emerged after an eternal winter had settled over the zebra territories, uniting in order to confront the demons that emerged from the ice and snow to destroy all life across these lands. They confronted raiders, enclave loyalists and monsters alike, and eventually succeeded in defeating the demon behind the eternal winter and restoring peace." "Heavy stuff." Ace commented as he continued to work, "How long ago was this?" "Forty years, near about. I was just a child back then." "Hmm." Ace acknowledged, before nodding firmly and looking up, "Yeah, looks good." Fluttershy leaned forward in expectation, "What's did you find?" "Right..." Ace clicked a few buttons before nodding to himself, levitating a notepad from his pocket and quickly scribbling down some notes, "As you would expect, this console was used both to set up the network of Garden Rods and later to periodically check in with central command." "So you know where it is?" "No." Ace gave her a somewhat mocking look, "This is the ministry of awesome, it's not THAT easy to track down their hidden base." Fluttershy pouted back at him, jerk, "Ok... so what have you got?" "I've got the shape of the communications network." Ace stated, looking down at what was scribbled upon his pad, "It's not much, but it's a start. If the central base was coordinating then it must be part of the network, and it would need to have a relatively complex antenna. It would also likely be a fair distance from any pre-war roads or settlements, and most likely be built into an abandoned structure of some kind." Fluttershy got that at least, having worked in the wilderness and even helped draw up a few maps in her time, "So if we had a pre-war ordnance survey map...?" Ace nodded, "Then we would at least be able to narrow down our search." "That's amazing Ace!" Fluttershy exclaimed, actually feeling a bit of hope creep into her voice. Could Rainbow Dash have come here? Could she truly be...? "Fluttershy." Ace stated dully, before looking up at her straight, "You do remember that the world is rapidly falling apart?" "I... suppose..." Her head dropped, mind returning to earth, "You're right, I'm sorry. I got over-exited. Maybe when this is all over we can think about it, but right now we have better things to do." Ace smiled, a rare sight on the buck, "I'm going to find a map, and I'm going to be looking into it. But you can't afford to be distracted Fluttershy." Fluttershy returned his smile, "Thank you Ace." "Um... thinking about it..." Gardener Birch suddenly spoke up, looking and sounding rather nervous, "I have one more artifact that you might be interested in." Now this was worth listening to. He certainly sounded like he thought it was important... indeed he almost looked afraid, "What is it?" "A memory orb." Gardener Birch stated with a moment of hesitation, "I've never watched it, but my father told me that the contents were not for the faint hearted. It's even marked as top secret by the Ministry of Awesome." Ace spoke up first, "What is it about?" Gardener Birch looked for a way out of the conversation. Seeing none, he was eventually forced to answer, "It's about Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust." Fluttershy was certainly interested now, though she could only think of one thing it could possibly be, "Does it say what happened to her?" Gardener Birch nodded, his eyes trembling slightly, "That's what my father told me." "Fluttershy." Ace stated firmly, "I'll go in first, tell you..." "No." Fluttershy shook her head. If this was what she thought it was, she needed to see it with her own two eyes, "We go together." Ace sighed, then offered a hoof, "Fair enough. Join hooves with me and we'll get started." "I will watch over you." Gardener Birch offered, opening a locked box at the end of the room and taking out a crystal ball set upon a cushioned holder. It looked like any other memory orb, save for a stripe across the outside warning that it was 'Top Secret, C-2 clearance only'. Fluttershy pursed her lips, knowing first hand that even Twilight and Rarity only held C-3 clearance. That meant this orb was supposed to be viewed by the most senior generals, Rainbow Dash, Celestia and Luna. That meant whatever was on here was... dangerous, or at least extremely embarrassing, "Ready Ace?" He nodded, his horn igniting... and taking the world with it. ¬ Fluttershy settled into the body, the weight, the sensations, the movement. Padded fabric pressed against her, two wings strong and proud. There was an odd feeling in her chest as she inhaled, a weird hum and a sucking sensation. Like there was... machinery where her lungs should be. There was a 'pulling' at her hooves too, it reminded her of what she felt from her bionic leg, the attachments that connected it to her upper muscle. She looked out at the world through a top quality military visor, Fluttershy feeling a horrible sense of familiarity as she took in the surroundings. This was... Karabivore. Where she had met Prince Nashar and Lightning Dust on her last visit to the zebra lands. Then it had been lush, proud, beautiful. Now... The plantlife was dead, collapsing out of shattered planters. The beautiful art and sculpture was now nothing but rubble, the great statues of noble zebra lying in chunks across the landscape. The bustling streets and thriving market lay empty, abandoned save strewn bones, still clad in the ruined remains of zebra uniforms. The grand palace ahead? It had near totally caved inwards, the entire top of the building sheered away. The pony she was inhabiting turned her head to look behind, the visor instantly magnifying and enhancing the image to reveal the ruined dockland areas, and behind the spire of Star Fall on the horizon. A few smaller shapes out on the open sea were soon highlighted, marking them as Equestrian Heavy Cruisers. The figure lifted their head and another larger shape was also highlighted, this identified as an Enclave Dragonhunter. The figure snorted, the sound all too familiar, "Chessmaster, I'm in the area. Are we clean to go?" It was Rainbow Dash. She was in the body of Rainbow... Another voice sounded up from her right ear. She didn't recognize it, "Drabfur, you are cleared to proceed. No activity detected in your area." She moved forward without further comment, Fluttershy noticing her balance was slightly off. Rainbow Dash was overcompensating for the strength in her legs, a problem she herself had experienced with bionics. Rainbow Dash had bionic implants? Fluttershy had never known anything of the sort. It looked like she had installed hardware into all four legs, and replaced her lungs by the feel of it. The cost and risk of such an operation must have been phenomenal, especially at her age. She continued forward, looking around constantly, peering down at her pipbuck every now and then. She eventually reached what had once been a flower shop, moving past the empty cages and briefly calling up ammo counts and statuses on her side mounted weapons. She inspected the numbers for a moment before moving inside. Her eyes flicked to the shadows as she continued through the empty shop, long since looted. She moved up the stairs and her visor highlighted a life sign in the room just beyond one of the doors above, Rainbow Dash seemingly paying it no mind as she calmly strode into the room in question. Looking like it had once been a bedroom, there was indeed a pony there. A pegasi, dressed in a bloodstained and battle damaged equestrian infantry uniform. She herself looked like she had been through a great deal, her yellow fur dusty and stained, a bandage stretching over one eye. Her blue hair was almost grey, hanging in a mess across her scalp. And then Fluttershy recognized her. "Lightning Dust." Rainbow Dash stated with a rather impressive lack of emotion. She then spoiled it slightly with her rather obvious observation, "You look fucking awful." Lightning Dust smirked slightly, her remaining eye narrowed in caution, "Seems I'm a little out of practice Dashy. You don't look too hot yourself." "I haven't lost an eye." Rainbow Dash observed, a note of concern entering her voice, "Do you need a healing potion or..." Lightning Dust softly shook her head, "They've done all they can. I'm only wearing the bandages to stop the socket from getting infected, though it might be doing more harm than good at this point." "I thought you were a princess." Rainbow Dash stated with a note of challenge, her hoof extending to point at the pegasus, "How did you end up squatting in a ruin?" Lightning Dust's expression firmed, "You get your Intel when I'm safe." "Huh." Rainbow Dash's lip curled, head rising to focus a dismissive stare upon Lightning Dust, "Intel huh? You'd be willing to testify?" Lightning Dust's expression instantly became hostile, body tensing, "On what?" "On Fluttershy's treason." Fluttershy felt herself draw out of the moment, force herself against Rainbow Dash for some sort of physical reaction to this. It hurt, all the more so for being trapped in this body, unable to... scream. Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care, either in her tone or bodily reactions. Lightning Dust simply glared back, Rainbow Dash eventually speaking again after a moment to let her sweat, "Why did you come to me LD? Why not Fluttershy?" "Because Equestria wants us both dead." Lightning Dust replied with a sharp touch of menace, "I'd just be painting a bigger target on her head." Rainbow Dash didn't even twitch in response to this news, "So you request the leader of Equestria's secret operations service?" "I requested Fluttershy's friend." Lightning Dust angrily replied, facing up proudly, "And if you're telling me that you're involved in the attempts on Fluttershy's life... then kill me now, and get it over with." Rainbow Dash paused for what seemed like an eternity, and this time Fluttershy did feel her stomach twist, her muscles tense and relex. Finally Rainbow Dash replied, once more in control, "When this is done, Fluttershy will be going to jail for a very long time. Treason during wartime is not a light offense. And you..." "When this war is ended, I'll walk to the gallows beside her." Lightning Dust spat, glaring hatefully at Rainbow Dash through her one remaining eye, "But look me in the eye and tell me that this war is worth it. Tell me she's wrong." "You started this war." "Caesar started this war!" She spat in reply, "And it can end with his death." Rainbow Dash snorted, "You think we haven't tried? Maybe you could have thought about this when you were still living in that palace, right next to his bedchambers." "I did." She replied with a grimace, "How do you think I lost the eye?" Rainbow Dash reacted at this, clearly dumbfounded for a moment, "You... tried to kill him?" "You're right, I should have done it years ago." She spat bitterly, "But Fluttershy forbade it. She still believed him and Luna would see reason, negotiate peace. And she refused to consider ever hurting the Princess." She snorted angrily, "So put that in your accusations of treachery." "Where's Prince Nashar?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, "Was he in on this?" Lightning Dust grimaced, then clenched her teeth. It was a couple of seconds before she could reply, "I think he's dead. I think his father killed him." Rainbow Dash didn't react to this either. She either already knew, or... had become a robot or something, "You don't know?" "He just vanished, while I was away." Lightning Dust replied, "And no one would look me in the eye." "Fuck." Rainbow Dash spat, lifting her head to glare at Lightning Dust, "I'll promise you this. You give us the names of those driving the zebra war effort, give us their schedules, locations and favorite foods... and I'll personally make sure they die. Then you tell me the name of someone who can offer unconditional surrender and get them kissing Luna's hooves, then we can have peace." Lightning Dust smirked at her less than professional tone, "Not much of an offer." "I'm offering a chance to end this fucking war." Rainbow Dash angrily replied, her composure finally lost, "I'm sorry if it's not Fluttershy's 'sit around in a circle and sing happy songs', but you might have noticed that it's accomplished exactly jack shit." "Maybe if you had offered her some support..." "I've been putting my neck on the line for her for years!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hoof cracking down in anger, "You think we couldn't have killed her any time we wanted?! You think we don't know that she's been leaking state secrets?! I have personally pleaded with Luna not to have her swinging from a rope the first time she pulled this shit!" Lightning Dust hesistated at this, even as Fluttershy felt her own thoughts derail, "Wha...?" "I have done my best to keep her safe, give her stupid ideas a chance to work!" Rainbow Dash yelled, before her voice settled into a low, dangerous growl, "But they haven't. So we do it my way. If the zebra won't roll over, Luna is going to see each and every one of your cities in flames." Lightning Dust glared angrily for a moment longer before reluctantly spitting her words, "Fine. You make a good point, even if you are even more of a bitch than I remember." "You have no idea." Rainbow Dash replied, nodding at the door and starting down the stairs, "Come on. We'll get you to a safehouse, then we can plan from there." Rainbow Dash proceeded down the stairs, her visor reporting movement beyond. She quickly placed her hoof to her ear, "Chessmaster, report on area." "Area still sterile Drabfur. Report, contact secured?" "Operation still in progress." She muttered, before moving out into the road and looking around the area, "Come on LD, I don't like this one bit." Hoofsteps sounded out behind, Rainbow Dash turning to make sure Lightning Dust was following... ...and a little bit of Fluttershy died as Lightning Dust's face caved in and a spray of blood painted the wall behind. She dropped instantly, Rainbow Dash halfway through tracking the bullet back to its source before another bullet struck her into the hip and dropped her sprawling to the ground, "FUCK!" She set her weapons on free aiming as the first figure appeared from behind a pile of rubble, only to swiftly cancel the attack as more of them emerged with weapons armed. And worse... they were all wearing Equestrian uniforms, with two of them clad in power armor. "Rainbow Dash." A cool, confident voice stated, the owner soon revealing themselves as a white furred pegasi stallion of early middle age, wearing combat armor with attached general's pips, "I told you it would come to this." "You... motherfucker..." Rainbow Dash spat through gritted teeth, her voice rising to a roar as she lifted herself to her hooves, "North Star, she was trying...!" "I know quite well was she was trying to do." North Star stated with a smug little grin, removing his helmet and brushing his perfect, silky hair back with a flourish, "She was aiding you in treason." "She was trying to help us win this war!" "Winning the war is inevitable, we both know that commander." He commented with perfect poise, "You also undoubtedly know what Twilight Sparkle is cooking up in her labs, as well as the weapons we are already making ready for the front lines. By the end of the year their cities will be ours, and Celestia will sit on the Dragon Throne." Rainbow Dash screamed her words, loaded with grief and rage, "A year?! We could have ended the war now!" "In peaceful capitulation. That would have them pay for their crimes with petty ransom and meaningless treaties no more binding than the ones they have already broken." North Star stated, eyes narrowing in anger, "And in a few years time when they've had time to prepare, war will bloom again between us." "So this is your answer?!" He grinned at her, seemingly making his expression as infuriating as possible, "Killing the Prince's whore, and arresting the treasonous wench who aided Fluttershy in her espionage? Yes, I believe that is my answer." Rainbow Dash tensed her body, blood thumping in her head... and then she paused. She took a deep breath and settled back, striking some buttons on her pipbuck and returning it to her side, "You cunning little shit." North Star frowned deeply, "I will just shoot you colonel." "You don't want to just shoot me." Rainbow Dash spat, "You want me to attack you. Kill me in self defense." He sighed in frustration, waving a hoof at her, "Maybe it would have helped. Still we already have enough audio to prove your association with Lightning Dust and Fluttershy, and we've collected plenty of witnesses to your craven hearted opinions." He paused to gaze icily at her, "We hardly need a corpse to complete your fall from grace." "Huh." She stated with a grunt, tensing her hoof and activating some further mechanisms in her suit. That done she unclipped her rifle, shrugging it off, "You really think I'm capable of fighting you? If you've really been following me you should know that I'm a cripple, so if you're going to kill me I'm afraid it won't be after any sort of epic battle." North Star grimaced in frustration, "Hmph..." She fully pulled her rifle away, holding it in her hoof together with a grenade she palmed and flinging her hoof out... sending the grenade bouncing across the street while holding onto the rifle by the strap, pulling it back into her hoof as her visor went opaque. The grenade went off with a flash and a plume of smoke, her visor switching to infrared as she rolled to the side, sighted up and blew a hole through the eyehole of one of the power armored ponies. Another twitch shot did the same the soldier beside him, two bullets from returning fire cutting into Dash's armor before she dropped her rifle and opened her wings to fling herself towards them. Her hoof came up, pistol deploying and placing a hail of shots through the second and third soldier, then she pulled a knife from a shoulder harness and went for the second pony in power armor as he fired upon her. She took another shot in the torso but barely even felt it as she slammed her hoof into the pony’s neck, twisted it to open up a gap in the armor and slashed her knife across his jugular. Fluttershy took a moment away from all the horrifying violence to contemplate how Rainbow Dash felt no pain from any of the gunshot rounds she had been taking. She was still thinking this as a bullet struck the hoof with the pistol emplacement, shattering the mechanism and penetrating all the way to the bone. Again all she felt was a faint tingle, her head's up display indicating healing potion was being deployed as she swept her eyes towards North Star. The general paled in fear as he backed into the ruins with his heavy pistol blazing. Rainbow Dash's wings swept back, her surroundings blurring as she flew in a fierce arc to slam into North Star with a single sweeping hoof that sent him bouncing across the cobbles. He gasped and tried to draw a knife but Rainbow Dash was too fast, leaping over and breaking his hoof with a hard thrust. He tried to wiggle free but she just slammed her hoof in his face until he stopped struggling, her bionic lungs sucking in air with harsh wheezes. She then drew North Star up, looking past the blood and into his scared, trembling eyes, "You've just made the worst mistake of your life." "I... you won't get away with this..." He gasped, clearly terrified. She snorted, throwing him down with a hard thrust of her hooves, "That's your mistake. You assumed I would care." "Wait...!" She slammed her hoof down, again, and again, and again. Fluttershy begged for the experience to end, Rainbow Dash seeming calm and relaxed as she relentlessly beat the general to death. Even as he slumped back into unconsciousness she continued, her intentions clear... "Urgent assistance requested, the general is down, repeat the general is down!" Rainbow Dash turned her head away from the general and looked to the side, focusing on the injured pony desperately yelling into his radio. He noticed her attentions and his body trembled, jaw going slack. Rainbow Dash didn't make any attempt to move, just silently staring at him... ...before she flapped her wings and flung herself into the sky, the air whistling past her ears as she soared for the sun. ¬ Fluttershy fell back as the vision ended, gasping and sobbing as she fought to drive those horrible visions from her head. How could Rainbow Dash have thought such moments worth recording? Why did she... she... Fluttershy just didn't know how to process this. "Did you know?" Fluttershy turned to Ace Gold, shaking her head. Ace pursed his lips, turning his eyes away from her. His voice was cold and tense, "I guess she got away with it then." "I don't know how." Fluttershy admitted, the very concept impossible to fit logically into her knowledge of events, "That general... he survived." Ace Gold looked back at her, clearly surprised, "Rainbow Dash caved in his face!" "That was General North Star." Fluttershy stated softly, her mind drawing back to the portrait she had seen of him back in Star Fall. His scars had been horrific, and now she knew why, "He founded Star Fall. He was the commander of the Equestrian forces in the zebra territories." Ace Gold looked as confused as she did, "How did she get away with killing Equestrian soldiers? I mean..." "I don't know..." Fluttershy cut him off, already knowing his questions, and that she had answers to none of them, "...I don't think I ever really knew anything about her..." ¬ They continued on after some final preparations, Fluttershy admitting that she didn't really pay much attention to any of them. She was locked in those moments, being inside Rainbow Dash as she had killed... ponies. Equestrian ponies. Members of their own armed forces. And worse... if she allowed her mind to wandering into darker places she could imagine it. With her wind walking it would be simple to dart forward, drive a knife into a pony’s neck, pull it across... She could imagine pulling up her shotgun in just the way Rainbow Dash had, quick precise movements as she gunned down her enemies... Fluttershy placed a hoof to her chest, feeling once again the grim scar inside her soul. She had seen Steel Marrow die in Chigaru's pink gas, her emotions crying out in pain... and she had felt the demon's eyes on her. They had returned her to that time she had tried to forget, those centuries of watching the wasteland burn from her prison within the Everfree. And it had been worse, because Chigaru hadn't just let her watch. Instead she had felt was it was to be there, a hundred years of atrocity and death. She wondered if that had been what it was like for Rainbow Dash. She had smiled, she had posed for photographs, she had looked after her children. But Fluttershy could do that too, hide the injury inside herself. The injury that enabled her to kill a pony and not feel a thing. Like something had been... cut. Rainbow Dash had felt no pain, no sadness. Indeed the only emotion Fluttershy had felt back there was... rage. She would like to say that she didn't understand how her friend could have become like that. But she did understand. She understood all too well. "Fluttershy, do you want to ride on my back?" She looked up, Puppy lumbering along beside her. She looked ahead, seeing that the others had moved quite some distance ahead, Easu eying her with worry, "Sorry, I've... I was daydreaming." "Ace said you might need a little time." Puppy responded with kindness, "But you know, there's plenty of room up here. I should be able to carry everyone really." "No, that's..." Fluttershy started before thinking better of it, "...thank you Puppysmiles, that would be lovely." Puppy knelt to give her purchase but Fluttershy just activated her wind walking, stepping out onto the metallic curve of Puppy's back with just a single stride. Not for the first time she observed how much easier it was if she didn't overthink it. Puppy seemed to agree, "You're getting really good at that." "I don't know." She started, feeling... unsatisfied, "I would willingly forget all about it for the chance to use my wings again." "I just love being solid, being able to interact with the world." Puppy responded, starting towards the others with gentle steps of her massive legs, "But I admit, this body does feel rather limiting, despite its power." Fluttershy understood that, she really did, "Can you... feel anything?" "Not... really. I mean I'm used to it." She responded, "Sensors and electronics were my life for a long time. But I can remember what it was like to be a pony now too." Fluttershy nodded. Sometimes she felt like she had long become something else, "What do you miss about that time?" "What do I miss? Um... everything really." Puppy responded, pausing a moment to organize her thoughts before answering, "I mean... back then I was part of something else, hitchhiking on another pony. I've never really experienced anything as... myself. As...me." Fluttershy chuckled, they really did seem to have a lot in common, "I tried gardening and looking after animals after I was freed from being a tree. It felt... different." "I guess all creatures change." Puppy agreed, sighing softly, "I want to... eat ice cream, and fly on my own wings, and jump into freezing water, have sex, graze my knee, hug a doggy, eat a stale cake... everything." Fluttershy grinned, "Eat stale cake?" "Puppysmiles and Princess Luna both ate stale cake." Puppy assured, sounding very enthusiastic, "It's a memory that stands out really strongly for both. That means it must be worth experiencing, right?" Fluttershy almost advised her against it before having second thoughts. All creatures changed, and maybe it was the bad as much as the good that informed such change, "The world is... full of experiences Puppy." She sighed, "Sometimes it's worth hanging onto them all, even the painful ones." Maybe she had changed. Maybe the Fluttershy of her youth would be terrified to see this scarred, ruthless old woman wearing her name and face. But she couldn't run from the past. The only direction to go was forwards. ¬ They finally reached Point Pleasant after another day of traveling, the town reminding Fluttershy of Appleloosa in both the good and bad ways. Like Appleloosa it was ridiculously crowded, with the combined sound, sight and smell of thousands of tightly packed ponies. Wagons lay everywhere, many of the permanent structures appearing to have been built out the remains of wagons that had finally ended their long journeys. Hard eyed guards in traveling leathers marched along the perimeter, the merchants, farmers and travelers beyond also obviously armed and dressed for hard travel. Market stalls sold just about everything you could think of and many medical tents had been set up around the camp, weary looking doctors attending to the crowds of refugees. Beyond was a huge fortified structure, what she presumed had once been Yeznia Fortress but now was a massive construction of parts hailing from the four corners of the world. It was technically an ugly thing as far as form went, but attained a grandeur through the sheer scale and diversity of the influences on display. The two howitzers mounted on the structure demonstrated their willingness to defend themselves, along with numerous other mounted defenses. They started down the path towards the central structure, a path quickly clearing at the sight of Ibis. She seemed to enjoy the attention, marching down the path with her muzzle held high and a smug look stretched across her face. Fluttershy noticed a few glances in her direction too, a whisper going up through the crowd. They finally entered the central structure, the guards moving aside with respectful nods and letting them into what looked like a bank. Booths had been set up all around, along with bollards to direct the queues, signs scattered around directing visitors towards 'Trade Disputes', 'Trade Route Disruptions', 'Visa applications' and many more of the same theme. Now it was almost entirely empty, apart from groups of guards standing around... and one very familiar looking face. "Niyada!" Ace Gold called out in an exited voice as he recognized the camel standing before them, rushing forward for a moment before trying to slow himself into a slightly more dignified trot, "I mean... it's just... good to see you...." "Likewise Ace Gold." Niyada responded with a giggle, looking up and nodding to the rest of them, especially Dust Kicker and Fluttershy, "I knew you would come eventually." "You know Miss Niyada?" Decimus questioned, turning across to them. "We met her when we were with Princess Luna." Fluttershy responded, moving forward to give her a warm hug before stepping away and fixing her with a more serious expression, "Is everypony ok?" Niyada didn't look very thrilled at this question, still she managed a small smile, "We've taken casualties, it wouldn't be right to ignore the loss of so many young lives." "Radhi?" Ace asked, his concern instantly showing. Niyada smiled at this, nodding back at him, "Radhi was fine last I saw him. He's been organizing logistics out in the field, got a small army following him now." "So what are you doing here Niyada?" Dust asked, stepping forward and giving her a respectful look, "We've been told the Dusklight kids were harassing Starhammer's forces out there, helping refugees escape." "We have." Niyada admitted with pride, her smile now growing wide and genuine, "The inhabitants of the Mutum are all good zebra, but they don't know how to survive, hide and fight like us. They offered us a place to settle, the least we can do is help them out in their time of need." Dust grinned, "Heh, proud of you guys. Haven't lost your will to fight for what's right." Niyada nodded, "We're all dedicated to continuing Princess Luna's example, doing the best we can to defend the innocent. I'm here as an emissary to Great Mother Nanati, doing my best to get the others the support they need." "That's who we're here to see actually." Ibis admitted, "Is she here?" "Yes, I was told you were coming." Niyada gave an elegant bow, then motioned to the far door, "Please follow me, I'll take you to her now." ¬ The great hall was as ramshackle at the rest of the place, but even then Fluttershy quickly realized that first impressions were deceiving. For instance she quickly noted the skeleton suspended from above, its great neck and mighty wings stretching the entire length of the hall. Fluttershy flushed pale and had to admit feeling a little faint for a moment as she realized it was a dragon. A small one but... a dragon none the less. It reminded her of Spike and so she looked away, noting a perfect replica of Starhammer’s sword on a nearby plinth. And on one a little further along... were those a set of justice scales from the Centaur wastes? And beyond... an actual black book? And at the far end, observing them with wry amusement, a mare that didn’t seem the slightest bit out of place in this environment. A zebra clearly older than even Fluttershy, all the same she still boasted a set of clear, shining emerald colored eyes behind a face full of laugh lines. Robes of shining silk in the Saddle Arabian style hung off her bony shoulders, her face full of wry amusement as she came down to meet them, “Well well, a set of legendary heroes at my door. It is an honor, truly.” She had a voice that demanded your attention, even though she didn't raise it at all. Fluttershy took a moment to reply, feeling out of her depth, “Um... likewise. Lady Nanati yes?” “Call me mother, every other creature in this place does.” She stated with a smirk, moving down the hall and turning her head from side to side as she studied Fluttershy intently. Fluttershy blushed at the attention and Nanati eventually stopped before them with a satisfied nod, “Apologies, my eyes have gone to shit these days. But you’re Fluttershy alright, ‘anit no lie.” “How can you be so sure? I doubt you've ever met her before.” Ace asked, sounding skeptical. “I’m a merchant queen kid.” She smirked, “I gained a good eye for a fake a long time ago.” Fluttershy noted the necklace around her neck, a mark of distinguished service to the Saddle Arabian royal family. Her earrings were clearly real diamond, Fluttershy having been taught by Rarity how to see a fake. And her clothes weren't pre-war, they had been sewed recently, using the techniques only possessed by the finest of tailors, "We were told you were a very important zebra around here." "Pah, I'm the only one with common sense." She stated with a raspy laugh, "Rarer than frogs teeth." "And I hear you the mare to talk to about Starhammer." Dust stated, getting straight to the point. “Heh!” She laughed again, “Speaking of fakes.” “Yeah, he outright admitted it to us.” Dust admitted, “Still his fighting skills are real enough, and he seems pretty in control for a figurehead.” “Doesn’t he?” Nanati confirmed, firming her jaw into a harsh sneer, “Don’t make a lick of sense, but can’t ignore what’s in front of me.” Dust nodded in response, "I've seen his skills with my own eyes." "Yeah, his skills are no lie, even if everything else is bullshit." Nanati admitted, her cunning little eyes shining bright, "Though ironically enough, that's what makes the least sense." “Why doesn't his combat skill make sense?” Fluttershy asked, sensing some understanding in the old mare’s tone, “You sound like you know something about him.” Nanati turned, looking across the artifacts around the room. She looked complative, finally speaking after a long moment of thought, “I know a lot about him, these last few months I’ve had an army of my children collecting everything there is to know about the bastard. Can’t say I ever trusted him an inch, and it seems I was right. Small comfort.” “So what is there to know?” Ace asked, sounding impatient, "Why is that guy so fucking strong?" “Well that’s the thing.” She turned, waving them on as they headed back down the room towards the plush sofa that seemed to serve as a throne, “His real name is Tarishi. And he’s a nobody. About as memorable as dirt, just another one of a thousand mid level mercenaries. Grew up on a farm, was pretty good with a knife and average with a pistol, protected caravans and did some scavenging raids. The most interesting thing I could find about him was he was really good at telling a story, loved the ‘Epic War’, ‘War of the Seven Kings’, ‘March of the Windward Planes’... basically anything featuring some muscle bound hero, a big monster and very little subtlety. Used to tell them to his companions on the long road, apparently was a pretty good storyteller.” “Which is basically what he’s playing now.” Dust Kicker pointed out, “But that doesn't explain why he's suddenly Zephyr Stormstrung.” Nanati smirked, moving past the throne and pushing open the door to the study beyond. Large piles of paper stood on creaking desks, bookcases deforming under the weight of hundreds of binders literally bursting at the seams. A window stood at the far end, looking out over the courtyard, a large map of the mutum valley in the centre. She continued speaking as she moved over to it, “That’s the big honking question now isn’t it? How did ‘No name mercenary guy’ turn into the grim fucking reaper?” She turned her head back, looking Fluttershy straight in the eye, “To be honest, I don’t know. But I’ll tell you when it happened.” Fluttershy leant forward in expectation, “Go on?” “He was hired, one of a dozen guards on an expedition to King Rashid’s territory." She started, "Rashid had just taken over from his late father a few years back you see, and was proving himself to be a little shit with an entitlement complex a mile wide. King Zaneious was looking for a solution, so he gathered together a group of experts on the area and sent them out as a diplomatic mission. One of those experts was a zebra named Kunani.” Easu nodded firmly at the name, "Starhammer's girlfriend." "The one who unleashed blood magic back at the duel between Starhammer and Luna." Dust added, eyes grim and humorless. Nanati returned Dust's expression before continuing, “She’s a hell of a lot more interesting than him, though similarly undistinguished. She grew up at Garm, pretty famous in her time, smartest student in her class. Idealistic, determined... a lot of highly effusive comments which I’m sure were nothing to do with her being a deaf mute.” She smirked for a moment before clacking her hooves together, “Then like that... all gone. She killed a new student during some ritual gone wrong, and the Elders threw her out on her ass.” Fluttershy frowned at this, that sounding like a major overreaction “For a mistake?” “Well that’s the interesting thing isn’t it?” She commented with a sly smile, “Not the normal reaction, any magical study is going to produce the odd casualty. Students have indeed gotten away with more... but that’s all that the official documentation says.” “Someone was trying to cover up her actions, either because they were embarrassing to her or others.” Dust concluded, brow furrowing, “So what did she do after that?” Nanati shrugged, “Would you believe it, straight A student became a doctor at a brothel in Clendel. Stayed there for four years. According to those who knew her, she was professional, distant, and spent a great deal of her free time in the library.” Nanati’s face fell a little, looking troubled for a moment, “Apparently struggled with depression, had a few relationships that ended badly.” Ace grimaced, "Looks like she finally found her stallion." "And isn't that a happy story." Nanati noted with grim humor, "They met on that expedition to King Rashid, and by all accounts instantly bonded over their love of history. Some other members of the expedition put in complaints, said that they were ignoring the mission in favor of... well, fucking each other's brains out." "Ahem." Dust added with a smirk, Fluttershy unable to stop the blush spreading across her cheeks. “Doubt it would have made a blind bit of difference regardless, as expected Rashid ignores the expedition, sends his armies to harass them, kinda what you expect.” Nanati paused for a moment before clicking her hooves together sharply, “Then one day Tarashi and Kunani are among one of the groups being harassed... and Tarashi proceeds to kill ten of Rashid's soldiers with nothing but a combat knife." "So that's the point where he suddenly becomes so powerful." Dust stated, brow furrowed in thought, "Which suggests it's something to do with Kunani." "Sure, but what?" Nanati replied, sounding frustrated, "That would be the simple explanation, but power like that is beyond any simple shamanic magic, and even that would require a massive magic fetish feeding it." "What about his sword?" Fluttershy added. Easu shook his head, adding his own opinion, "Wouldn't work. He's not in direct contact with it while he's fighting, plus fetishes are very fragile. Changing the shape, even slightly, would break the enchantment. Impractical for an object designed to hit zebra with." "Hmm... boy... Easu is it?" Nanati questioned, turning to look at him with a deeply bitter expression, "I have an admission to make." Easu paused for a moment before giving a slight nod, "Go on." "I asked Tradash to see if he could discover the source of this magic Starhammer is using." She admitted, her expression truly gloomy, "I suspect he succeeded." "And Starhammer killed him for it." Easu finished. "Yes." She turned away, "I am truly sorry. He was a damn good zebra." Easu's expression barely flickered, "Yes, he was." ¬ Fluttershy followed Easu out onto the balcony, the wind ruffling her hair as the vast expanse of the Saddle Arabian desert stretched out before them. Pleasant grassland faded into scrub, rock, then blasted sand, a land in which nothing could grow. Easu looked upon it with lost, broken eyes. Eventually his hoof drifted to his head coverings, pulling them away with a swift tug and hurling them into the wind. Fluttershy approached, faced once again with those bitter scars... and the youth of the face behind them, "Easu, do you want to talk?" "I do not know which path I should take." He spoke in response, his voice choked, "Both risk losing something I care about, both would destroy everything I am. How does one face such a choice?" Fluttershy knew how that felt. She had faced such choices many times, but they never got any easier. Still she knew one thing, "Change is inevitable. Sometimes we have to destroy what we are to move forward, do what we believe is right." "Have you destroyed yourself before Lady Fluttershy?" She nodded, giving him a smile, "I was shy, reclusive. I only wanted the company of my animal friends, and I never desired attention. I never wanted power. My only ambition was to become closer to the natural world that I loved." She took a deep breath, surprised at the simplicity of such times, "But I became a leader, I stood in front of thousands and declared my ambitions. I moved to the city, I lived in a mansion. I abandoned the natural world, abandoned everything I was..." "...because it was the right thing to do." Easu finished. "It was the only option I could live with." Fluttershy answered, still feeling that way even after everything that had happened, "I had to help those injured ponies. I had to stop the war. I couldn't just turn away from that." Easu sighed deeply, then drew his pistols from their holsters. He stared down at them, eyes narrowing, mouth curling into a hateful grimace, "All my life, I have lived with brutality in my heart. I have tried to escape it, tried to fight for the right reasons... but I cannot, and every drop of blood feeds this evil inside of me." Fluttershy shook her head, stepping forward, "No Easu. You can't blame yourself..." "Tradash always said that. He told me what I must do, but I always refused him. I thought I knew better." Easu tensed, tears filling his eyes, "I thought I had more time." "Easu..." Fluttershy started, moving beside and looking up at his youthful, damaged face, "Tradash's teachings are still a part of you. You have all the time you need, he gave that to you." "Then it's about time I started listening to them." He responded, clicking the two pistols together with his hooves and sending their magazines tumbling to the ground, "I will feed this evil in my heart NO LONGER!" He hurled his pistols aside, then reached to his side and pulled his combat knife free from its scabbard. That too he hurled to the ground, backing away and trying desperately to calm his breathing. Then he reached down and pulled the bandages free from his hoof with a swift tug of his head, scrabbling at the unraveling strands and sending them drifting to the floor. A shrug and a brief moment of fiddling later and the catches on his armor opened, sending his combat armor thudding to the ground. He stepped away from his piled equipment, his scared, damaged body now totally exposed. His shivered and slumped his form, oddly small and vulnerable looking despite his still considerable bulk. More than anything he looked... like an adolescent, lost and alone. He let the tears fall from his eyes for a moment before wiping them away and locking firm eyes upon Fluttershy, "I cannot deal in this violence any longer. It is a sickness in my soul, and feeding it has only made it stronger." Fluttershy had to admit, this was unexpected, "Pacifism? Not that it's not an... honorable choice..." "You saw it yourself." Easu stated darkly, "Violence broke Star Swirl. She left us because her vengeance sparked something dark and ugly inside her heart. And I fear it is doing the same to you." Fluutershy wasn't expecting this, silent in shock for a moment, "What?" "You are becoming colder, sharper, more of a creature of the wasteland with every day." She opened her mouth to object before she realized just how valid his words were. She had killed ponies. She had killed ponies... and she hadn't even particularly cared, "I thought it was necessary..." "Maybe it is." Easu commented, his mouth curled into a deep frown, "But that doesn't make it right. You, Midnight Dreamer, Star Swirl, Starhammer... you've been poisoned, led to believe that brutality is the only way to impose your will upon this world. That is what destroyed Midnight Dreamer, and that's what will destroy this world if you let it." Fluttershy dropped her head, "I... can't argue..." "Your only solution to North Loading was to force those poor zebra to fight." He stated bitterly, "And all that accomplished was getting them killed." She looked at him in shock, Easu keeping that gaze upon her for several moments more before turning away with a dark look in his eyes, "And I will have no further part in it." ¬ Fluttershy stood in the gardens, looking up at the night sky. Easu's comments hadn't cut as deep as she would have expected, but that might have been because she already knew. She wasn't the mare she was, she wasn't even like the mare she was three months back. And that mare had already been far removed from the mare of her youth. It had happened to them all. Only Rarity and Applejack had remained unchanged, by what power Fluttershy couldn't understand. Maybe they had always understood themselves best, or maybe they were just best suited to adapt to their changing circumstances. Even Princesses Luna and Celestia had changed. Celestia had got so soft spoken, quiet, reclusive, and Luna... there had been a hardness to her soul that had scared Fluttershy at times. She could easily believe Luna would have ordered her death, and knew that it wouldn't have been personal. Now she had some distance, she could understand that maybe Rainbow Dash hadn't changed as much as had been immediately apparent. And that given her attempts to protect her from the consequences of dealing with the zebra, her co-operation with Pinkie Pie in her attempts to contact Littlepip, her continued contact with each of them, along with both Princesses... maybe at the end she had been able to stand with Rarity and Applejack as the only ones who never betrayed their element. And maybe North Star had suffered for the mistake of hurting the ones Rainbow Dash had cared about. It made her smile a little. Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty, had betrayed Equestria, betrayed the Enclave, lied to every single one of them... because that was the only way she could remain true to her ideals. Fluttershy knew she didn't have an ounce of that integrity, but she could only keep trying. And maybe she could still fix this, "Puppysmiles?" Puppy had been standing at the far end of the garden, looking over the wall towards the fires burning in the darkness. She turned one of her cameras to Fluttershy, rather laboriously turning herself to face. Her voice was as cheerful as ever, "Good evening Fluttershy. It is a nice night to be enjoying the gardens." "It is." She replied with a smile, before moving to her reason for being here, "Puppysmiles, I have a favor to ask." Puppy's body bobbed in response, "What is it?" Fluttershy hesitated a moment, feeling... a little chill at even asking the question, "Star Swirl will be asleep around now won't she?" Puppy's voice lowered, "Her sleeping pattern is getting rather irregular actually." "So you have visited her dreams!" "It's not quite that simple." Puppysmiles responded, sounding fraught, "I can only attempt entry to a normal pony's dreams if they invite me to enter, even if only subconsciously. And she isn't a normal pony." Fluttershy nodded, supposing that was an unfortunate difficulty, "She can dream walk as well." "I'm keeping an eye on her sleep patterns... because she's been entering our dreams Fluttershy." Puppy finally admitted, her voice warning, "I've had to chase her off several times." That didn't sound good, "Has she tried to hurt us?" "No... more gathering information I think." Puppy admitted, though she still didn't sound happy, "But she's dangerous. She's... losing it." Fluttershy really didn't want to hear that, "Nightmare Moon losing it?" "Worse. Or... better, maybe?" Puppy sighed in frustration, "She wants to save the world. And she's sounding a little... Red Eye about it." Fluttershy let out a breath of relief, small mercies, "Then we can still help her Puppy." “I hope so.” Puppy hesitantly stated, “And you want me to do it?” Fluttershy admitted that wasn’t entirely fair, landing all that responsibility on Puppy. Still, it was true, “Do you know where she is?” “Impossible to say.” Puppy admitted, “She can fly, and teleport. She hasn’t stayed in any once place for more than a day, though she’s making her way towards the coast.” Fluttershy sighed, “Then you’re the only one who can catch up with her.” Puppy sounded pleased, her voice rising in enthusiasm, “To be honest it kinda ties into another idea I’ve had. And I’m glad to have your blessing Fluttershy!” “Just be careful Puppysmiles.” Fluttershy warned, though she found the mare’s enthusiasm infectious, “You said it yourself, she’s dangerous.” “Don’t you worry about me.” Puppy cheerfully replied, “You go and get some sleep. By this time tomorrow Star Swirl will be on her way back, her booty slapped like a naughty child!” Fluttershy doubted it was that simple, but sometimes it was nice to dream. ____________________________________________ Fluttershy Perk Gained – Loyalty’s Wrath Whenever an ally falls in battle, you gain a increase of 10% to your critical rating for ten minutes. Easu Trait gained: Tired of Blood Unlike many others in the wasteland, it hasn’t got easier. You have an extra 10% chance to miss with any attack, 40% if the attack is lethal in nature.