How to Start a War in Ten Days

“Love is like war: easy to begin, but very hard to stop.”

The world was silent. Too silent if you asked me. Save for the steady shallow breaths of Platinum Haze and the ticking of my pipbuck, I could hear nothing but my own thoughts. I had turned off the light of my pipbuck too, leaving us in the pitch blackness of the tunnel. But we were alone… and safe, at least partially. No doubt the rest of the Steel Rangers were out looking for me, but without their leader I hoped they were in disarray. Clean Cutt was out there too, and his crazy alicorn, but I doubted they would know where I went.

So, for the moment it was just me and my thoughts, and my thoughts were all filled with violence. The violence done to me, to my friends, my family. The violence I had planned for my enemies, for those who had wronged me. It was a beautiful thing, revenge.

It had felt good to see Dragonslayer die, though I wished I could have done it myself. After everything he put me through, after what he did to the Batmare and Pinprick, seeing his bloodied form at my hooves. How could I not smile? But I never should have dragged Serenity into it; he was mine to kill, just as Blackwater was.

Clean Cutt would be the same, and that victory would be all the sweeter. After what he did to me, turning my body into an experiment for his own horrendous plans. After the chaos spread across Dise for his misguided idea of peace. The least I could do was destroy everything he cared about and burn it to the ground around him as he watched. Then I would let him die, but only then. He deserved no less. He could play at being a necromancer or whatever, but even if he could raise the dead as he claimed there wouldn’t be enough left of him to raise after I was done.

I seethed in the darkness, my anger growing at each remembered slight. My shoulder burned with the fire of the megaspell trapped within me. My cybernetic eye throbbed in pain as I remembered the shot that took it, and the pony behind it. My muscles ached, not from stress or strain but from the memory of what I’d gone through. Some days it seemed the whole of the wasteland was against me, a great storm swirling around me begging me to yield, to give in.

But here I was, alive and well. A rock, immovable, no matter how hard they tried.

I had enemies, but that list was getting shorter by the day. And when my vengeance was complete, when I finally got payback I… I wondered if I would have anyone left to celebrate with.

I brushed Platinum Haze’s mane gently with my hoof. In her state it drooped to the ground, no longer flowing and waving as it always had. She would live, I was sure of it. My pipbuck was indicating ambient radiation from something, though I wasn’t sure what. I knew that healed her, and since she was not dead yet she would live.

But what if there was no radiation? What if I wasn’t there to save her? I had spent a lot of time making enemies and I was putting my friends in danger, and I knew I would only be making more before this was all over. Could I truly risk them?

I needed to think, to clear my head. The silence was driving me mad.

I leaned down to kiss Haze softly upon the head, and whispered into her ear, “I will be back. You are safe here.”

I got up and took off the eyepatch that covered my cybernetic eye. All at once the tunnel became alive to me: shaped in shades of green and black. We had walked a while before being ambushed, but I remembered the area clearly as I walked forward. It was not far from where Serenity, Flare, and I first walked through this Celestia-forsaken tunnel. Had it not been for the multitude of fresh hoofprints marking the ground I no doubt would have found our own from that time.

I kicked at the dirt obscuring the hoofprints that covered the tunnel before me. Serenity and Flare went ahead, and if I knew them they were waiting at the tunnel entrance. They were more loyal to me than I deserved. They deserved better than me. I was leading them to their deaths.

There didn’t seem to be a good solution. I had waded so far into the conflict that it was safer to see it through than turn back, but doing so was putting people I cared about at risk. Even ponies like Haze and Serenity who didn’t deserve it. People who wanted no part in the violence, but were drawn into it because of me.

Well, I supposed there was a third option. Making a deal with the Watchers, trying to come to some happy-go-lucky solution, but Clean Cutt made the terms of that arrangement painfully clear. Submit or die. Oh, he said it with a nicer tone of voice, but that’s what he meant, and every word he spoke reinforced it.

Which left me with what?

It seemed that going for a walk didn’t help clear my head any better. I tried to continue my walk in silence, but all that resulted was the ticking in my pipbuck getting louder. Which was generally bad for me, but this was the path we had to go either way so I had to get through it eventually. It didn’t take me long to see what was causing the ticking.

Before me, bathed in a dim green glow, were a series of still broken robots. The same ones I had destroyed here last time, which I knew instinctively because I had torn one of their arms off and beat them with it, and it was that same arm I nearly tripped on as I got close. “Piece of junk,” I muttered mostly to myself as I gave it a kick, sending it skipping across the dirt floor and into one of the broken bots.

The one bot that was intact had a sickly green glow around it. I moved closer to it; the ticking on my pipbuck got faster. On the back of its cylindrical form the back panel was cracked open partially. It didn’t take much to tear the panel off completely and see what was making the glow. A battery of some sort, kinda like the one that powered my cybernetic leg, except the crystal at the centre of this one glowed sickly green. Radiation, obviously.

The blade in my leg easily and ungently pried the battery from its housing, and much to my surprise it continued to glow even when out of its chassis. Which was exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t expect things to go my way. If this was causing the radiation in the tunnel, then all I had to do was bring it back to Haze. Then she would, hopefully be good as new. Hopefully.

---

“Does it hurt?” I asked Haze after the radiation had done its work and she could move again. “The wound I mean…”

“Is that a trick question?” she asked, standing with a slight groan. By now the battery had stopped glowing, and my pipbuck stopped ticking, so maybe it didn’t last as long without the robot as I expected, but it was enough.

“I mean…”

“Yes, we are still wounded, though in comparison to before, the pain is manageable. We are lucky there was radiation about, as we feared we might bleed out without it.”

“Don’t worry she’s—”

“Dead.” Platinum Haze interrupted me quietly, but I knew better than to argue. “We must mourn that poor soul.” Incredulity must have been clear on my face as she continued. “We wonder what it took for her to take the path she did. Nopony would go down such a self-destructive route for no reason. We suspect there was pain in her past.”

It was difficult not to roll my eyes. “Some ponies are just bad.”

Platinum Haze sighed as she started down the tunnel path without me. She did slow down to let me catch up so I could follow, but she stayed quiet for longer than I would have liked. “Perhaps,” is all she said as she left.

Minutes passed in silence.

“So… are we just… not going to talk about this?”

There was at least another full minute of silence.

“Haze…”

Finally, she spoke again, but it was so quiet and under her breath that I couldn’t even hear her, so it was basically the same as not talking.

“Haze!” I said more sternly.

“What do you want from us?” she eventually said, her voice more sad than angry.

“For you to talk to m—”

“What is it thou expect us to converse about?” she said sharply. “You have made your purpose evident enough, and we disagree. What more need be said on such matter? You value violence, and we find it distasteful. We have known this about you from the start, and it has always weighed heavy on our heart, but what can be done about it? We cannot dissuade you from your path, and attempts to do so have failed.”

“Then why come with me at all?” I shot back.

“We…” There was another of those pauses. “We did not come to change who you are; we do not feel that is fair. But it was easier to accept violence when it is over there, a part of a story we were not in. Like that, we could accept it and see the good in you. We were attracted to your strong personality, your defiance in the face of hardship, how you cared for those around you even when you did not wish to show it… but you are right, we should not have come with you.”

“No…” I sighed. “I’m trying though. I really am.” She looked over at me curiously. I got the feeling she didn’t believe me, but wanted to. “This whole plan. Why we came here. I thought if we could tame the mountain. Get the resources inside… with that I thought we could take The Watchers down without firing a shot. They don’t want to be seen as evil. If I offer the city peace on my terms. They would have to accept. Outwardly. Then I could have worked on dismantling them… but then…”

“Everything went wrong?” she suggested. It was a succinct way of putting it.

“I hate failure. But it follows me everywhere.” I seethed thinking about the times I’d been bested, of my many failures and mistakes that had led me to where I was. “I’m a wild animal. When I’m cornered, I do the only thing I know how: I lash out, I get violent.” I kicked an errant rock on the ground sending it careening it into the distance. “Violence is a currency I understand. I’m good at it.

“I am trying. I don’t know how. I don’t know if I can be like you,” I continued, “so serene and good despite… everything. This world only respects violence. Yet here you are. I don’t know how to get there. To not feel hate. To not…” My voice faded, eaten in by the darkness surrounding us.

“Oh my sweet fool, it is not as if we do not feel anger. For so many years we had a hundred sisters’ voices in our head, and our mothers as well, seething at the world around us. Lashing out at injustice, at disrespect. We have been a part of that system, and we have seen what it has done to those whom we cared for. Our dear mother was lost to vengeance and pride, and we mourn her still. It is not as if we do not feel anger. We cannot speak to you what we wished to do to that knave, Dragonslayer, when he kidnapped Serenity, but we choose to rise above it. We choose to become a better us, despite this.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“We have it easy,” she said. “We have the option of avoiding conflicts by simply not appearing, and we have the magical ability to end many without bloodshed… we understand our judgement is not always fair considering these factors. Still, we are… disturbed by bloodshed and violence when it does occur, though we recognize it is perhaps an inevitability.”

“So where do we go from here?” I asked eventually. It felt like a pertinent question. Regardless of any attraction she felt towards me, I didn’t know how our relationship (such as it was) could get past such an irreconcilable difference.

“Forward. We still love you, and we will strive to help you become a better pony so long as you promise to help me become more understanding.”

It felt like a cheap cop out, considering all the differences, but I only heard one thing: “Oh, love?”

She seemed to blush a bit before stuttering out—“Don’t let it get to your head,”—and kissing me on the cheek.

I knew the way out from there, and it was as simple as putting one hoof in front of the other. Though I admit by the time we reached the exit (which was still strewn with debris from our last frantic flight from the Facility) I was about ready to pass out. I wasn’t too sore, but it was a long walk, and I felt like I hadn’t slept in far too long.

The door to exit the Facility was slid open, and as we pushed through I could taste the fresh air on my lips. If I never entered that thrice-damned place it would be too long. I sat outside the entrance and looked up into the sky.

It was clear cloudless night with a full moon beaming across the sky. From this angle, I could see the entire valley below the cliffside where the exit was. I could see every single star in the sky, so many I couldn’t count them all even if I had a hundred years. It was a damn beautiful night, and even more so that I was alive. Alive and ready to move on with what came next.

“Let’s get some sleep,” I said quietly, not wanting to disturb the stark silence of the night. I laid down beside the door and Platinum Haze rested beside me. “I know you don’t sleep much. But you deserve it.”

“We worry that we may be ambushed in the night, so perhaps…”

“Just for a few hours,” I said resting my head on her side and closing my eyes. “Let everything stop for a few hours. Stress and panic can call back later.”

---

I slept and it was good. It was perhaps the best sleep I’ve ever had. I didn’t even dream. It was just nothing, for a few hours, cuddled up against another warm body. I hadn’t realized how much I needed that.

Of course, an alarm had to blare and ruin everything.

I jumped to my hooves, shaking Platinum Haze awake, and looked around with bleary eyes. My real eye was thick with sleep, but my cybernetic one had perfect clarity, which was useful for spotting a flashing red light above the door to the facility. I moved to the door to try and see what was the matter just in time for it to slam shut with a bang that echoed down the valley below.

Platinum Haze walked over beside me. “What is the matter?”

“Nothing.” I muttered moving to a terminal sticking out of the mountainside. “Something must have tripped a lock. I can unlock it.” So long ago I had accidentally downloaded the master key to this place, and that act had caused my life no shortage of pain, but it had its upsides. Just connect my pipbuck to the terminal wait a few seconds and…

-ERROR.-

Okay, that wasn’t normal. I took out the connecting wires, blew on them and rubbed any possible dirt off them before connecting to the terminal again. How could this not work; the entire facility was designed to work with this.

-ERROR.-

“Of for fucks sake!” I slammed my metal hoof into the screen of the terminal, shattering it completely. “Uh, whoops.”

“Darling, perhaps you need to work on your anger issues.”

As I shook the shards of glass from my leg, I gave her a knowing smirk. “What anger issues.”

I assumed her smiling and rolling her eyes was a good thing, though before I got to ask a voice piped out from the mostly broken Console. “Hired Gun, is that you?” a familiar robotic voice asked.

“Uh… yes?” I had almost forgot about Baptisia.

“This is good, we were worried we lost communications as we lack a full communication suite in the unfinished tunnels at the lowest portion of the Facility. It is good you have escaped so you can fulfill your promise.”

Platinum Haze gave me a look that was clear she wanted to know ‘what promise’, but I waved it away and said to Baptisia, “Of course.”

“In the meantime I am afraid I have bad news for you. Someone, we are unaware who, has broken through our security systems. While I maintain control of the autonomous robots, they have changed the security key. Whatever it was you were using to facilitate travel unrestricted is most assuredly no longer functional.” I looked down at my pipbuck and couldn’t help but swear.

“Is that all?” I said trying my best at confidence. “The key is valuable: they will keep a copy close to them. All we have to do is find out where and get it back.” I tapped my pipbuck. “Easy.” I knew it wasn’t, but sometimes confidence helped.

“Then… I will leave you to it, I suppose. When you return, I pray you bring word of your adherence to our bargain.” There was a slight click as the intercom turned itself back off and I looked over at Haze.

“Are you sure you will be able to achieve this?” she asked me. “You sound far more confident than perhaps you should be, considering.”

I gave a halfhearted shrug, “Nothing wrong with raising expectations. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But for now, we should go.” There was no use staying here and trying to sleep anymore, that was thoroughly ruined.

“Where shall we go?”

It was a question I had thought a lot about during our walk. Our first goal was obviously to link back up with Flare and Serenity, second to see what became of the Applejack Rangers, and third to return to Dise and plan the ousting of the Watchers from the city. I figured the first and second parts would mostly be the same, considering not all the Applejack Rangers participated on the attack in the facility and some stayed in Timber. It seemed the most likely place for them, and thus Serenity and Flare to go. Which meant more walking.

“Timber.” I said eventually stretching out to work off the sleep. “This way.” I sort of knew the way. At the very least I knew my way to lower ground and to the road that connected Bridle Hope with Timber, which was almost certainly the fastest route. “How do you feel about walking?”

“We adore it, of course,” Platinum Haze said as she followed me down the lower ground.

The day was crisp and warm, and just as clear as the night had been before. There was a cool wind blowing around the mountain that brushed across the greenish brown grass and plants and blowing them gently. As we walked everything felt so calm, so peaceful. Compared to the claustrophobia and pressure I felt in the Facility this was a metaphorical and literal breath of fresh air. I could have walked in silence for days, just enjoying the calm.

Which meant I had to go and ruin it by turning on my radio. It had been a while since I had an update from Dise, as getting radio in the Facility seemed impossible for some reason, and I had an insatiable curiosity.

“-continues to blanket the city, so stay safe out there. Remember the three rules of radiation. Stay hidden. Be quick. And drink rad-away.” Mr. New Haygas’ voice sounded a little weak, lacking it’s smooth and fearless tones. It seemed these times weighed on even him. “In other news, the NCR and the Minotaurs have reached a tentative ceasefire agreement, both sides wishing to take care of their sick as it seems balefire radiation has no true master. They have agreed to such things in the past, and with many people in the NCR and elsewhere blaming the Minotaurs directly for the balefire it is hard to believe that this ceasefire will hold. For their part, the Minotaurs claim all knowledge on how to create megaspells was lost to them two hundred years ago, and they could not be the perpetrators even if they wished to.”

“Finally, Dise is still in chaos following the destruction of The Moon casino. What is left of the Mustang organization is in shambles, and it seems to this reporter that they won’t recover from this. Earlier today the remaining leadership of the so-called Revolution has agreed to a power sharing deal with the The Watchers and The Enclave. He sent us this message to play in regards to the agreement.”

“Dise was in disarray.” A voice I did not recognize said over the radio. It seemed Flare’s friend who was in charge didn’t make it through the balefire bomb that took down The Moon. “We, ordinary citizens, not beholden to any gang or faction decided to stand up for it. To fight back. We took down the houses of power and gave them back to ordinary citizens. These gangs of Dise in their high towers starved us and let us die of poison as they were safe and fed. We have given Dise back to the people, and we must understand who stood by us. The Watchers gave food to our families, medicine to our children, and protection to our friends. They are the only true friends of Dise, and when the radiation clears I see two options. Let a new set of murderous thugs hold us down and suck away our life blood, or hold up the Watchers. We will either be a city made by the people, or made to oppress the people. Let us make the wise choice.”

“Now us here at New Haygas Radio don’t like to pick favourites, but we are all hoping for a peaceful solution here. Be safe out there. I’ll let a new track from the north take us away: ready your ears for the sweet tones of Velvet Remedy.”

The song at least was sweet, even if the news was not. If it was true and The Watchers were already beginning to consolidate their power over the city, it would mean… well. I am not sure what it would mean, but I knew for a fact it would make stopping them damn near impossible.

I barely had time to think about it as I heard voices coming from around a ridge as we continued to descend. And the voices I recognized immediately. “Ah’m tellin’ you she’ll come back this way. Like before. ‘Sides, it’s faster.”

“Maybe, but I still think she may have headed straight up towards Bridle Ho-aw shit.” The voices turned the corner and we were standing face to face with Serenity laying on top of Flare’s back (which made sense considering her broken leg). “How did you know?”

“Momma!” Serenity said, her voice reaching a higher register than I have ever heard before. She jumped off Flare and hobbled her way towards me to give me a hug, ignoring Flare’s question completely. “And Haze, you’re okay! We were really worried when the crazy alicorn showed up; how’d you get away?”

“Haze brought the roof down.” I said with a sly smile.

Platinum Haze blushed slightly and corrected me. “We used our magic to create a debris field to block their path, then used the distraction to escape. But only after your mother stunned her temporarily.”

“Ah teamwork,” Flare said, sauntering over. “I can get behind that. Still, I figured you’d be hot on our trail; what took you so long?”

“We met Blackwater.” I said coldly. “And killed her.” It was impossible to ignore the grin on Flare’s face just as it was impossible to ignore the subtle frown on Serenity’s. I scooped the filly up and placed her on my back before continuing. “I killed her.” I didn’t want them thinking Haze was involved.

“For the best; Lemon Cake will be glad to hear of it at any rate.” Flare said staring to lead back down the path. “And Curly Fries too, not that I care about that.”

“We should blame Curly Fries,” Serenity said from my back. “It’s his fault we got stuck in there again.

“Celestia-Damnit, Curly Fries.” I replied with a stiff shake of my head.

---

It was nice to see Flare and Serenity safe and sound, even though I hadn’t been too worried about them. They said my brother and his goons had retreated to Bridle Hope then they had helped direct Lemon Cake back to Timber (as she was new to the area) before doubling back to meet up with us. They even said that if we hadn’t come out by the time they got back to the entrance, they would have ventured forth to find us. Now I could have kicked them for thinking that was a good idea, but I appreciated the thought nevertheless.

The rest of the way down and around the mountain was… peaceful. There is little I could say about it that would be interesting, as it was simply a well-welcomed calm and peaceful time in our generally stormy lives. It wasn’t going to last, and I knew that, but I appreciated the calm.

A few days later, we closed in on Timber, smoke rising once again from the blackened ruined remains of the town. It was a dark and cloudy mid-afternoon, and there was a cool wind blowing up from the south that sent a shiver through my spine. Or maybe seeing the town again did that. Standing on the same hill, it almost looked so like how it was when I first saw it, or at least close enough: seeing its current state made me ill. Yet here I was back once again, repeating the same mistakes over and over…

“I’m surprised they haven’t been attacked,” Flare said from beside me looking down the road at the remains of the town. “Look at their defenses,” he said pointing to a ramshackle barricade that blocked the north and south roads around the building the smoke was coming from. They didn’t look like much; I could have broken through with ease. “And few guards. The Watchers had enough ponies, not even counting the Steel Rangers or the Enclave who remained. And yet, look up.”

I looked up to see plenty of clouds. “At what?”

“Look closer.”

I looked closer and saw the clouds in more detail. “I don’t get it.”

“There’s no Raptor.” Oh! Flare was right. Before the Raptor we took here had parked at the top of the mountain where the old Enclave base was, but now it was just… clouds. “They left: who knows what they came here to get, but they must have gotten it. Probably don’t consider the remains of the Rangers a threat… oooor didn’t know they went back here. Which is implausible. If I were them I would have sent that crazy green alicorn to remove the rest, but hey, leaving works.”

“Didn’t want to risk a fight. The Rangers were never fighting The Watchers. Just other Rangers.” I said starting down the hill towards the town. “We can change that.”

Flare just stared, incredulous, so Haze had to ask the obvious question. “How do you plan to encourage the Applejack Rangers to fight an enemy that thus far has not directly interfered with them, pray tell?”

“I have a plan,” I said with a smirk as I sauntered up to the nearest barricade. “Hello! I wish to speak with Lemon Cake.”

An armored head popped out from behind the barricade, “Who wants to see… Oh! It’s you. Come in, uh, you’ll have to climb over the barricade, you can never be too careful. I think the Paladin was waiting for you.”

That was a promising sign for my plan at any rate, so I quickly climbed over the barricade letting Serenity ride on my back to help her on her way. Not that it was tough to climb over, but Serenity’s leg still hadn’t healed from the crash before and I didn’t want to risk making it worse if I didn’t have to.

On the other side, it was the same burned up Timber I knew so well. Within the confines of the barricades there were about twenty or so AJ Rangers milling about, most sitting around the large fire in the centre of town that was currently cooking… something so black it was hard to guess what it could be. There were a few more ponies that poked their heads out of buildings when we strolled in, upping the numbers to near thirty. After all that had happened, that was far more than I was expecting.

As I walked towards the fire there were murmurs of displeasure in my direction. Apparently, I was a dangerous pony to have around, and one pony seemed to suggest I should be shot. I am not sure where this animosity came from, considering I had only helped them before, even if it had gone poorly.

Near the fire Lemon Cake turned around and laughed; “Hired fucking Gun.” I knew I should have given myself a middle name. “You glorious bitch, you did it.” Now I knew she didn’t like me that much. This was weird.

“Uh…”

“She’s not a bitch!” Serenity said defensively before Platinum Haze hushed her and gave a stern warning about swearing.

“I mean it as a good thing kiddo.” Lemon Cake grinned walking up to pat me on the back. “We heard what you did to Blackwater.” Oh, well that explained it. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer pony. When she died, nearly half of the remaining Steel Rangers jumped ship. There was nobody left to take up her mantle because she apparently tended to throw away anyone who could be a threat.” Rampant paranoia sounded like her.

“Didn’t some ponies who defected turn on you last time?” Flare asked. “I am not sure…”

“Some did,” She admitted, “but they have nobody to betray me to this time. And we took away the weapons from most until we can be sure of their loyalty. Others, well… apparently, some of their families were being held hostage. Most I think were tired of fighting their own… though most of the ponies who turned over are no fan of you.”

“For killing Blackwater?”

“Fuck Blackwater, for killing their friends.” I winced a little at the accusation. “I am not blaming you Hired, but… well… they might. It’s easy to understand what happened in there, in the chaos, and they were after you, but it’s a hard thing to rationalize. They’ll follow me, but I hope it doesn’t hurt your feelings to say they want nothing to do with you.”

“Hardly.” I scoffed. “But I have a proposition.”

Lemon Cake pointed at the fire, “Have a seat, we’ll talk, but we should make it quick.”

As I took a seat I motioned for my friends to do the same, but before I got a question off Flare butted in. “Didn’t you guys just have a war? There was plenty of killing on each side. I saw you blow up like five of them in one go; why is Hired being singled out?”

She shot Flare a deathly glare, but it seemed a legitimate question to me. “Because they understand my reasons, they can sympathize. But her? She’s like a tornado, she goes into an area, wrecks shit, and leaves. Or so I have been told. They think she’s a menace; hard to argue with it.”

“Thanks…” I said, unsure how to take that statement. I mean, Lemon Cake barely knew me, and I wasn’t sure that was the reputation I wanted spreading around. “But it doesn’t really matter. I have a… proposition.” I wasn’t sure what else to call it.

Lemon Cake looked at me coolly but seemed to be waiting for me to continue. So, I did. Of course, before I could even start to explain what I wanted her to do, I had to first explain a lot of stuff leading up to that. Specifically, in regards to The Watchers, what they did to me, and others, and their plans. By the time I was done with my explanation there was a look of disgust on her face.

“Assuming you are telling the truth.” I was, of course. “What would you have us do. We lost a lot of ponies, and even with our recent good fortune we don’t have the power to take on an army.”

“Not what I was thinking.”

“Then you need to explain yourself better.” That was probably true.

“How many Steel Rangers do you think are left in the facility?” I asked. She looked more annoyed, but I was leading somewhere.

“It’s impossible to say. We know that those who don’t wish to join us were looking for an exit, maybe they found one, but it’s impossible to tell. That’s why we’re setting defenses here in the most likely exit. However even if we wanted to venture forth much of the facility is locked.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” I tapped my pipbuck. “I have the key.”

“Bullshit.” Lemon Cake laughed. “Why would I believe that.”

Before I even had a chance to defend my completely untrue statement an unarmoured pony walked over. “Paladin Cake, Knight Buttercup.” She gave a little bow before continuing. “When this mare was… acquired by Paladin Blackwater after we first entered the facility, it was explicitly due to her ability to enter the facility. Her pipbuck has a program that can get around the internal security, but it is unable to be transferred and her pipbuck cannot be removed which is why we captured her. As much as I hate to say it, she is correct.”

“See!” I said pointing at the pony. “I mean, thank you. Uh… anyway.” I redirected my attention to Lemon Cake as the other mare, Buttercup, glared at me. “I can unlock the secrets of this facility just for you. It’s what Rangers want right? Technology.”

Lemon Cake turned to look at the fire to think about what I said, but before she could say anything Knight Buttercup interrupted. “Ma’am, with all due respect, I would not listen to a word she says. Her promises are poison, and she brings death wherever she goes. Just walk away.”

“That is all Knight,” Lemon Cake said, and when the Knight started to talk again Lemon Cake repeated: “That. Is. All.” In a voice was not to be denied. After the Knight walked away sullenly Lemon Cake continued. “What is it you’ll have us do?”

“Protect people.” I said simply. “Stuff is going down in Dise. More when we get there. All I want is for your ponies to protect the town. Parasite Mound. To protect any caravans if they go here for supplies. And possibly supply ponies with equipment or knowledge.”

There was another long sullen silence as Lemon Cake considered this for a long while before speaking up. “This falls in line with our new directive, and what we came down to this Celestia-forsaken part of the world for. We will do this. Probably, but we need more details for what you’re planning.”

“I have other allies.” I said for a start. “The Finishers.” She gave me a really confused look, but I pushed on, “The Baises, an army of Ponitrons. Ponies. They are south in Parasite Mound. We will go ahead. Tell them to expect you. Follow us tomorrow. We will discuss everything then.”

Lemon Cake gave me a long cool look before nodding. “Assuming you aren’t pulling my leg, we’ll go.” There was a long pause as I stood up and started to get ready to leave. There was no point waiting any longer. “Why are you doing this. What’s in this for you?”

Vengeance seemed like the most accurate answer. Either that or spite, which was like vengeance only pettier. Perhaps I should have said I wanted peace, justice, and the Equestrian way, but there was no way she’d believe that. Perhaps it was a hard question to answer because I was unsure of the answer. Eventually I gave the weak response. “Because someone has to,” I said, turning towards the exit of the town and avoiding the glare from Buttercup, who was still lingering around, “and I’m tired.”

She seemed to accept that answer because she didn’t ask anything more as we started to leave the town for what I prayed was the final time. I wasn’t about to get away so quickly as when we started to leave I heard a voice call from behind.

“Hired Gun. Flare. Wait.” I recognized that voice as the one and only Curly Fries.

“Ugh,” Flare groaned, turning to him, “what is it?”

The green stallion strutted forth, brushing back his long pink mane before looking Flare in the eyes. “Thank you.” That was unexpected. “I have not always treated you fairly. Nor have you treated me fairly. But you went out of your way to help us. You risked your family for us. Maybe you had your own reasons, but maybe… maybe I was wrong about you.”

There was a moment of tension as the two of them locked eyes, neither blinking. Eventually Curly Fries continued to talk, but every word made it more clear how hard it was for him to say.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you the things you did in the past. One day you will be judged for those crimes. But you have changed, and you have saved what family I have left. So, thank you… maybe you don’t deserve peace, but regardless I wish you find it in yourself.”

“Curly Fries,” Flare said back immediately and a lot more casually. “I have always hated your stupid fucking face and your ridiculous moustache. But you aren’t a bad pony. Just an idiot.” Curly Fries seemed taken aback, though I had to work hard to stifle my laughter. “But you’re learning, and trying to be better. That’s more than I can say about most of the ponies I have met in these Goddess-Forsaken wastes. So, keep doing that, and maybe you’ll stop being a little shit.”

“I am here trying to express my gratitude an- “Curly started before I interrupted.

“It’s a compliment. Flare is just an asshole.”

“It’s not a dick,” Flare said with a devilish grin, “Don’t take it so hard.” Before turning to walk away from the conversation, leaving me no choice but to follow him. I gave him a curious look as we left and he shrugged, “Curly Fries is such an asshole. We finally go back to blaming him for everything, and he goes and makes himself likeable.”

Serenity piped in at that point, “Gosh darn it Curly Fries, he even ruins ruining everything!”

“See, the filly gets it!”

---

There was more walking, far more than I would have liked, but we had places to go and ponies to see. The trip down from Timber took us until well after dark to reach Parasite Mound, the small haven outside the war waging endlessly in Dise these days. I could see the skyscrapers peeking over the walls from miles away, that pink headed pony watching us as we moved closer and closer to their city. As we got closer my pipbuck started to tick ominously, if infrequently.

The NCA checkpoint that had been outside the entrance to Parasite Mound was long gone, and now it was replaced by two young mares sitting in front of the entrance to the town looking obviously bored. One was clearly fighting the urge to fall asleep by the way their head was bobbing up and down, while the other was busy taking apart and cleaning parts of a light machine gun. She was the one who noticed us as we approached and nudged her friend awake.

“Halt,” the pony said, standing to her hooves and smoothing out her dirty red and blue dress. “What’s your business in Parasite Mound, we don’t want troublemakers.” The mare said, not even bothering to put her weapon back together.

“We’re here to make trouble,” Flare replied with an over exaggerated bow. Before he could say anything else a pink bubble formed around his head, silencing his voice. I gave Serenity a nod of approval for that.

“To see Photo Finish. She’ll be expecting me.” The mare gave me a curious look before looking at Flare, who was still struggling with Serenity’s silence magic, and Serenity who was giggling which seemed to make it difficult for her to keep the spell up, then finally at Platinum Haze who towered over everyone. She wasn’t even bothering to hide.

“What the fuck,” The sleepy guard said before the other shut her up with a kick.

“Not going to say no to no princess. I think I recognize you lot anyway. Just don’t cause trouble or we’ll kill you,” she said sitting back down to finish cleaning her weapon. “Or someone will. Not me. I never get any fun jobs.” The mare looked up at us, seemingly confused as to why we were just standing there. “Well, get going. If you need a place to sleep, the Death Clock Hotel and Casino is still operational. The prices are outrageous though.”

The name seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember for sure, so I just shrugged and moved past them into the town proper. It was still a shitty little place, grey buildings ranged from two to five stories tall piled up on top of each other cresting up a hill. It looked like a hellhole, but now even at the dead of night I could feel a sense of peace permeating the place. Compared to what Dise had been reduced to this place was comforting.

Perhaps it was due to the brightly coloured guards Photo Finish had placed on every street corner. Some bored, others attentive, but all armed to the teeth even now at the dead of night. Some looked at us curiously, but when we didn’t cause trouble they looked for anything else that could be amiss. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw the guards drag somepony down a back alley, but when I turned they were already gone. Perhaps it was better not to see.

As we moved towards the hotel through the twisting streets, it started to rain, just lightly, but it was enough to wet my mane to my face and remind me that I needed a shower and a mane cut. Platinum Haze didn’t seem to mind; her hair flowed majestically rain or shine. Luckily we made it to the casino not soon after.

The Casino was a simple place, four stories high with bright lights outside reading ‘Death Clock Casino’, some of the few working lights in this part of the city. We stepped inside to find a muted and small casino. Lights were still flashing, and it was fairly crowded, but it seemed almost half-hearted as many ponies were just napping on the floor hiding from security, and those still gambling all had worried looks on their faces. So much for escapism.

I turned to the nearby front desk where two unicorns were playing cards. The male unicorn was wearing an eyepatch, and the female seemed to be recovering from burns along her back, I didn’t even want to ask.

I had to tap my hoof on the desk before they even noticed me. “What, oh.” The male unicorn looked me up and down. “Rooms I bet, it’s always rooms. We have two left. It’ll be two hundred caps a piece, but it comes with breakfast.”

That seemed exorbitantly expensive, but when I was about to protest the mare chipped in. “Either that or sleep outside in the rain. Town’s peaceful, but not so peaceful you might not get robbed blind. Pay up or shove off, we’re running a business.”

I searched through my bags, but only had seventy-five caps to my name, luckily Flare could spot another one hundred twenty-five, so we could get one room at least. Only then did we get the key, which seemed to relieve the unicorns so they could go back to their card game.

“Look, you head upstairs; I’m going to win some caps.” Flare said with a grin, looking over at one of the poker tables.

“Flare?” I had a whole speech ready but he cut me off.

“Listen, things are about to get rough soon; might as well take some pleasures while we still can, right? I promise not to accidently sell myself into a gang,” he said with a wink. It was a long time ago, but way to rub it in.

“Fine, just don’t wake anyone up when you come upstairs.” He gave a nod and skipped off towards the table. They were his caps after all, and I wasn’t about to stop a grown stallion from living his life how he pleased.

We found the room on the third floor, a cramped small thing with a single bed that would just about fit one pony which meant either Flare or Serenity as Haze and I were far too large. I decided Serenity could have the bed, and the rest of us could sleep on the floor. I had slept worse places, and she deserved rest, and so much more.

“Haze, darling,” I said as I hoisted Serenity onto the bed, careful to avoid being too rough on the cast that was still on her foreleg, “do you mind keeping an eye on Flare for a bit? I trust him. Really. But you know…” I let the sentence hang there for a bit and she nodded at me.

“Of course, we were going to do just that, to be honest. We do not want him falling in with the wrong ponies at this point. We shall be silent.” And with that the alicorn vanished from sight and presumably went downstairs.

“You don’t trust him,” Serenity said with a grin as I helped take her barding off and toss it off to the side.

“Would you?” I asked as I pulled the covers over her (I tried not to think about the last time they had been washed) and properly tucked her in. “How are you holding up?”

“Good!” she said with a smile, squirming her way into the bed. “I mean, a little sore,” she admitted, “but… everything is going to be alright, right? I mean, it has to be. So…”

“Yeah. I have a plan.” It was a pretty vague plan to be honest, but it was there.

“Good…” She closed her eyes briefly but opened them again. “Uh, I have a question,” she started hesitantly. When I nodded she continued. “So, you believe in Celestia, right?”

That was an odd question, of course I believed in Celestia. She was a historical fact. “Of course…”

“I mean, not just that…” she scrunched her face up before continuing, “that Celestia was like, a Goddess, you know?”

“Uh… I mean. I think she was…” I said, now profoundly unsure of where this conversation was going to go.

“But then. So… in the Watchers, when uh, you know, I lived there, we got sermons all the time by Celestia’s Vision. They said after the war, Celestia ascended to the heavens and watches over us all but. I mean. If she does, why do bad things happen?”

That was not a question I felt like I could answer, but she continued anyway.

“Like, Flare’s nephew. He was hit with a bolt of lightning, and it meant I broke my leg.” She lifted her cast. “But why? If Celestia was watching why wouldn’t she help us? Put the lightning somewhere else. Like… I mean, I could get it if bad ponies did bad things, and she can’t make bad ponies not do bad things, I get that. But sometimes bad things just happen right? And if she was watching…” She lowered her head and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” I said eventually, “I don’t have the answers. Maybe she can’t do anything… maybe… I don’t know.”

“Maybe she’s not watching,” Serenity said sadly. “I want her to. It feels nice, to have someone looking out for you but… she doesn’t seem to do much. I’m sorry. I thought maybe you could… I don’t know.”

I ran my hoof through her mane with a sigh. “It’s okay. I don’t have all the answers. You don’t have to believe in Celestia or anything. Even if she’s not watching over you, I am. I will always be.”

“I know…” She sighed. “I just. Thought maybe if she was, things would be easier. I mean. If Celestia is up in heaven watching over us, then things are simple right? She decides what’s good, and what’s bad so… But without her it’s just us? I don’t know, I don’t want to decide these things.”

“Serenity?” I asked quietly. “Is something bothering you, I mean, something specific.”

She looked down at bed for a minute before sighing. “When you were away, and we was being chased by Rangers. We almost got away, and like, I was scouting around to help us find a way out of the mountain, right? Cause I am silent and… and I saw this one Ranger, he was coming right for us, but he weren’t wearing a helmet. He was going to see us and call his friend and I…”

“Did you shoot him?”

“No!” She explained covering her face with her hooves. “I tried, I… I just… and he found us… called reinforcements. Some ponies died and… I could have stopped it b-but.” I could see tears running down her face. I brushed my hoof through her mane to try and calm her down. “A-am I a bad pony? I could have saved them but… but I didn’t want to kill anypony.”

“You aren’t a bad pony,” I said in as soothing a tone as I could muster. “Nopony should have to kill anypony. In a better world… But you never should have had to make that decision.”

“But I did… I made it…”

“You couldn’t have known the consequences.” I sighed. “I can’t tell you if you made the right choice. Maybe there is no right choice. But it’s the one you made… and that’s… what it is. You made it for the right reasons and maybe bad things happened… but… ugh, I’m bad at this.” I said with a groan. “It’s not fair, you shouldn’t have to be put through this bullshit! You deserve a normal life.”

“Momma?” Serenity looked up at me, tears still drying on her cheeks.

“Sorry I… I just want you to be happy, but I don’t have these answers. I don’t know about morality, and these tough questions, I just know these are situations you shouldn’t have to be in. Nobody should, but you most of all. I don’t know about any of that, but… I think the fact that you think about these things, that it bugs you, that you always try to do the right thing. I think you’re a good pony. And… I don’t know if that matters but.”

I felt tiny hooves grab onto my leg and hug it. “It matters…,” she said sniffling. “To me, and you, and that matters.”

“Yes… yes it does,” I said leaning down to rest my head on top of hers. “We’ll get through this. Soon we’ll get rid of the Watchers. Make Dise a better place. Then we’ll live free and happy. No more travelling, no more adventures, no more moral dilemmas. You, me, Haze; Flare can visit. It’ll be…” The sentence hung in the air for a while as I tried to think of a way to finish it.

“I’d like that,” Serenity said into my leg, still sniffling. My fur was getting wet from the tears, but I didn’t mind. “I’d like it lots.”

“Me too,” I said with a sigh. “Soon, I promise.”

---

Night came and went without issue, and that itself was something to make a note of. It was another dreamless night. Maybe I was past the nightmares that have plagued me for so long. I found it hard to believe, but it seemed as likely as any. When I finally opened my eyes I saw Platinum Haze standing way above me.

“Flare spent an hour and a half gambling and drinking before returning; we thought you should know he made four hundred and seventy-three caps in total. He got into no significant trouble, although he left early this morning and would not tell me where he went,” she reported dutifully. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine.” I groaned getting to my hooves and stretching out my legs. “Is Serenity still asleep?” I asked as I pulled Subtlety in front of me and started to take it apart. I figured I had a few hours at least, and it had been awhile since I cleaned up Subtlety. With a sigh I took out a spare rag and started to wipe the parts down trying not to think about the fact I had nearly no ammo left.

“Currently she is sleeping fitfully; we have been observing her throughout the night and have concluded her sleep is less than restful.” I was afraid of that.

“Okay…” I pulled the bolt from Subtlety and took it apart, careful not to lose any pieces before I looked back up at Haze. “I need you to do a favour for me.” She cocked her head slightly as I continued. “Your sister, that Alicorn. I am sure we’ll meet again. I need protection.” I backed away from my disassembled weapon and I pulled my thick armoured barding off over my head and placed it before Platinum Haze. “Can you do that, like you did to the bag we carried that orb in?”

I hated not wearing anything. I was scarred to shit as it was, but without my barding it became all the clearer. Jagged scars from daggers, bullets and whatever else crisscrossed my coat in an uneven pattern. Parts of my coat had never grown back after being scorched off from dragon fire. This was to say nothing about the mess of scar tissue where my cybernetics were connected. Without my barding every wound, every injury, every failure was laid bare across my body. It made me feel profoundly uncomfortable.

Platinum Haze didn’t even take a second look at me, instead moving to pick up my barding in her magic. “Certainly, though it will take us most of the day. We will give it a wash as well… but that is mostly for our sake.” She chuckled as she moved into the small bathroom that accompanied the hotel room. I am not too proud to admit that I enjoyed watching her leave.

When she was gone there was little else to do but head downstairs and get our free breakfast. That was more uncomfortable than I would have liked, and unlike Haze the drunks and gamblers on the main floor had no issue staring at me as I walked by. Judging me, as if they had any right. I brushed passed them all as coolly as I could manage and returned to our room with three plates of… well. It smelled like meat, but it was a colour and texture not usually associated with meat. It was edible, so that would have to do.

I woke Serenity up gently and we both ate… whatever it was. I offered some to Haze, but she seemed aghast at the idea, not that I blamed her. The texture made swallowing difficult, but it was food and I was hungry, so we ate. Afterwards we had little to do except head outside. Now I wouldn’t think about leaving before giving Platinum Haze a kiss, but after that was taken care of we left the Casino and went out into the rain.

It was raining harder now, so much so that little rivers were forming on the sides of streets looking for drains. One might expect that the rain might drive ponies inside, but instead we saw a large crowd not far down the street. “Interesting,” I muttered to myself before trying to flag down a pony to stop and explain what was going on. “Hey, hey!” Finally, a pony looked at me, “What’s going on over there?”

“Something about a fight! The Finishers are breaking it up!” a pony said before running towards the excitement.

I looked down at Serenity who was jumping in a puddle. “Want to go see a fight?” She looked up at me with a grin.

“Alright! Are we gunna break it up?” she asked walking over beside me. I ran my many through her wet mane, she needed a haircut, too.

“Depends if it’s anypony we know,” I said leading her towards the mob of people.

As we got closer there were sounds of shouting, and it became more and more clear that nearly everypony in Parasite Mound was here. I helped Serenity onto my back so she wouldn’t get lost or hurt in the mob and pushed my way to the front. I had a gut feeling that this was going to involve me somehow.

When I eventually made my way to the front I saw two large groups of ponies standing across from each other having a stare down. One was clearly the Applejack Rangers come down from Timber earlier than I had expected (they must have left at night), which was a pain because I didn’t have a chance to warn people. On the other side, dressed mostly in similar, yet sleeker power armour was a group of Enclave soldiers boasting well over double the number of the Rangers.

Flare was there too, talking hurriedly to a pony I recognized as High General Steel Wing, the leader of the Enclave who was overthrown and sent into exile not so long ago. I knew Flare was still in contact with them, but I didn’t expect he’d bring them here, at least until I saw Flash, Moondancer, and Rain Dance amongst the Enclave ponies. I had wondered where they went off to, and now it was clear where Flare sent them.

Standing in between the two sides was a small group of Finishers (easily recognizable by wearing outrageous dresses). A few of them were still wearing their… refurbished Enclave power armour with skirt attachment. As amusing as it was to see, I didn’t like the looks of it. Three groups of heavily armed, power armoured ponies at each other’s throats when I needed them working together. For me.

“That bastard shot me!” one of the enclave ponies said, pointing over to the Ranger side.

“You shot first!” Knight Buttercup shouted back. “Like you always have!”

“Enough, Knight!” Paladin Lemon Cake admonished. “We did not come here to continue an old grudge, we merely—”

The High General spoke this time: “Enough lies, we are not here for you, and we don’t trus—”

Only for him to be interrupted by Moondancer of all ponies, “They helped us, they’re not like the other rangers.” The High General gave her a look that made it clear he would have set her on fire with his mind if he was able.

Fortunately for her, Flash interrupted as well, “It is true. When we escaped the Raptor, my son was injured and they took us in.”

“Dahlings, dahlings,” said Screenshot, the Finisher second in command, “we frankly care not vun vit about your squabbles. Play nice or we vill remove you.”

There was more shouting after that. Apparently, the Enclave were pissed the Finishers had some of their armour, and the Rangers were annoyed some ponies in dresses were trying to boss them around. It was a nasty situation, it looked like it was about to get even more violent. So, genius that I was, I decided to get involved, though not before placing Serenity on the ground and instructing her to stay there.

“ENOUGH!” I bellowed, striding into the middle of the melee. “Do you all want to repeat the mistakes of the past! Kill each other again and again and again. Never learning? If so keep fighting! If you want to move forward, shut up!”

There was silence, and I continued in a lower tone of voice. “You all know me. Maybe you hate me, but you know when I give my word, it is gold. I need you all to work together.” I turned towards the rangers, “Lemon Cake, we made a deal. Keep your ponies under control.” She scowled at me, but didn’t say anything. “High General, Flare brought you here to help retake your home.” That was a pure guess, Flare kept his intentions secrets, but it sounded right. “Are you really going to risk it over a petty feud too long in the past?” I then turned to Screenshot, “We need to work together: try to deescalate, not make things worse.”

There was silence, even from the crowd. Maybe they were waiting for me to keep talking, but that was about as speechy as I ever got. Eventually Screenshot smiled at me, “Impressive,” she said quietly to me before speaking up. “Now that zat is done vith. I vill send escorts vith each of you to show you to your designated sections. Do not vander. Zen they vill inform you when out meeting vill take place.”

“That’ll work,” I muttered under my breath.

Screenshot looked me up and down before saying, “You have brought a lot of danger to our doorstep. I pray Photo Finish is right in trusting you. Regardless, she requires your immediate attention in her office as soon as you can.” She then called out to everyone, “Now, go!” With that one power armoured Finisher each went to the different groups to talk to their respective leaders.

I took the time to grab Serenity, who told me she was clapping for me speech, and ran over to where Flare was talking to his family quietly. “Hey, Hired!” he said when I walked over. “So that was crazy.”

I gave him a long sullen glare before eventually asking the obvious question. “Is there a particular reason you decided not to tell me you invited your Enclave friends?” I said, glancing over at the assembled ponies. There had to be almost a hundred, and they brought with them three vertibucks.

“Eh.” Flare shrugged. “I thought you would ask where my family went, but you didn’t notice.” He always liked to blame things on me not paying attention. “So I guess it slipped my mind, sorry. I sent them to get the gang, and I figured you’d want to meet here. And it all worked out!”

“You guys nearly killed each other.”

“But we didn’t,” Flare said, poking my nose and causing it to scrunch up in annoyance, “which means it worked out.” He gave me a big stupid grin but when my glare didn’t fade he sighed. “Listen. My family needed a place to go after they risked their necks helping us. And my… larger family needs their home back. I figured we were going to take on the Enclave Imposters anyway… so…”

“Flare,” I said, resting my metal hoof on his back, “just… warn me next time.”

“Like you warned me about what your master plan is?” I winced a little bit. “I kid, I kid, sort of. But next time, if there is one, I’ll be as open as a book.” Flare was many things, but he was not an open pony. The fact that he lied constantly about his family for months was proof of that. But there was only so much I could expect from a pony with a storytelling cutie-mark.

“Okay. But please. No more surprises.”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly.” That was a surprisingly dark promise coming from him, so I had no choice but to accept it.

---

“So, dahling.” I met the elusive Photo Finish in her apartment on the top floor of the bar she ran. Going from minor gang leader to one of the most influential ponies in Dise seemed to weigh heavy on her, at least judging by the bags under her eyes and the way she stared forlornly out a window as she spoke to me. “Vat is your plan?”

“We are going to decide that together,” I said. “You, Molly, High General Steel Wing, Paladin Lemon Cake, and me.”

“A Major Lucky from the NCA got word of this meeting and has been waiting for near a week. How he knew is anypony’s guess.” She turned to look at me, and seemed to smirk at the smile on my face. “Molly told the NCA I have no doubt. She has been near as impatient. It is a good thing you brought the Rangers, and those… Enclave, or I doubt they would have waited much longer. But you did not answer my plan, dahling. The details are immaterial, but vat is your plan? What are we to achieve.”

“To take back Dise,” I said sharply. “The Watchers and the Remnants orchestrated this whole mess to take power. They can’t be trusted with the city.”

“Oh, is zat all?” She smirked and looked back to the window with a long sigh. “I have never stepped a single hoof in zat city. I vas born under it’s shadow, I grew into a mare staring at it wistfully from rooftops, but never one hoof. Now I am expected to help vat, take it back? Are you sure zis is the right thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Enclave are bad, and their coup was a tragedy. But The Watchers… you put a lot on them, many sins to be punished for, but nobody else has seen them. But it seems like the people of Dise trust them, and why not? Now we suppose to tell them they are wrong, to take the city back and… then vat?”

“We can decide on that later,” I said, trying to hide my annoyance at the question, “but it is true. The Watchers are poison. If we let them just have Dise…” I shuddered to think what vile plans Clean Cutt would come up with. “It is the right thing to do. You’ve done a better job here. In Parasite Mound. Keeping people happy and healthy. Despite the radiation. If they really wanted to keep people happy. They could do the same. But they don’t. They want the conflict.”

Photo Finish sighed and nodded at me eventually. “As you say. Then we must decide what is to be done. Molly was ready to take on the Raptor herself when it returned, and the NCA seemed liable to help. If ve are to vork together, we must do quickly before everything unravels. I have instructed all sides to meet here this afternoon.”

“What needs to be done to get ready?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Turns out there was a lot of busywork to get a meeting like this together. Most of the details were being handled by Photo Finish’s mares, but I had a special project that befit my specific set of skills. Specifically, I had to go get the conference table that Photo Finish ordered from across town, and bring it into her little bar.

It was a heavy hunk of wood, seemingly recently carved and put together and painted with the highest quality spray paint cans scavenging could find. I mean, all things considered, it looked nice. Though the wood was plain, the painting was nice. Each of the major leaders had their own insignia spray painted on to indicate where they were to sit.

The Baises, and Molly specifically, had a stylized version of her hotel. The Finishers had the outline of a pony wearing a dress. The NCA had their rising phoenix, as on their flag. The most recent drawings were the Applejack Rangers, which was like the Steel Rangers except with apples instead of gears on the background, and what I could only assume was the Enclave Remants given it was an emblem of clouds and wings with a pair of eyes gazing out from the shelter of an arch, red and green on purple.

Then there was the final insignia. Three brown rocks, at the head of the table across from the Finishers. Someone was trying hard to blame me for this meeting when it was only partially my fault. Still, if someone was going to be the face of it, it might as well be me. All part of the master plan, I suppose.

As nice as the table looked, it was heavy. I mean, I could lift it and carry it across the town with little issue, but I was going to be sore at the end. Serenity didn’t make things any easier by insisting on sitting on the table on my back, because of course she did. I would have made her walk, but I couldn’t force myself to make an injured filly walk.

On the bright side, the table made a good makeshift umbrella and kept me dry the entire time, whereas by the time we made it back to the Finisher’s HQ Serenity was completely soaked from the rain. She had to shake herself dry in the foray of the Finisher’s HQ which annoyed the mares standing guard there a fair bit. Judging by their glares I wasn’t suppose to laugh.

“Special Delivery,” I said eventually, nudging the table on my back. “Where to?”

The mare was still glaring when she pointed me to the main bar room. It was a small room, as bars went, probably a Finisher-only establishment. When I entered, some of the mares were still taking care of the decorations, specifically trying to paint over cracks in the wall, and getting flags for all the parties involved. There was no furniture though, so it was easy enough to place the table down in the centre of the room.

One of the mares looked like she was about to say something to me, but then looked at the table, then at my flank and stopped talking. Maybe she thought I was some bigshot because I got to be included on the table.

“Soooo, can I be in the meeting too?” Serenity asked innocently hoping on top of the table. “I am soooo good at meetings. You’ll see. I’ll be the most… meeting like.”

“I’ll sneak you under the table. Nopony will question me. But you’ll probably fall asleep.” That was a guess, but if Serenity wanted to bore herself to death, who was I to tell her no.

“No I won’t.” She promised slipping under the table to show how well she could hide, “You’ll see.” She said as more Finisher mares started to bring in chairs.

“Well.” I said pulling up my pipbuck to look at it. Two hours before the meeting was set to start, lovely. “Let’s find out.” I grabbed one of the chairs from a Finisher mare and took my seat at the front of the table.

“Shouldn’t we go see Miss Finish?” Serenity asked from under the table.

“Eh, she’d just give us more work.” I said with a yawn. “We’ve done enough work. Let’s wait here, and see where that takes us.” I glanced idly around the room as I waited. On the table was the insignia, and behind each of the spots was a flag or a banner for the group. Then, there was me. My cutiemark laid bare on the table, and no banner to hide behind. Even my coat was bare for everyone to see.

There was a lot of implicit trust here, in this room. Trust that I knew what I was doing. That I could achieve these things I promised. That I was right about the poison that was The Watchers, and that I could help everyone move forward. I wasn’t sure that trust had been earned, but I was in a position where it just did not matter anymore.

Molly was the first pony to arrive, nearly an hour before the meeting. She stopped at the entrance when she saw me waiting there before sauntering in and fixing her cowpony hat on her head so it covered her ears. Behind her a few of her thugs followed. Considering how I saw her last, chained to a wall looking for escape, it was a far healthier look. “Hired fucking Gun,” She said with a grin as she took her chair, leaning back so she could rest her hind legs on the table. “One two… hmmm.” She muttered to herself looking me over. “You don’t appear to be missing any more body parts. Did you take a vacation?”

“I got better at adventuring.” I said with a halfhearted shrug. “How is your gang doing?”

The mule gave me a glare from under her hat, “Been better. The revolutionaries or… whatever have not been able to breach my casino. Not for want of trying. If they knew about the tunnel entrance they’d probably break through. Good thing they don’t, so I could squirrel away like a mouse for this. I hope you don’t mind, me helping set this up while you were… occupied.”

“Less work for me,” I said not breaking eye-contact with her. “Can we trust you?” I asked as bluntly as I could.

“No.” Her answer was as quick as it was predictable. “But you know what I want. So long as this… meeting of the minds achieves those objectives, well we’ll be… not friends, but it will work.”

“And what are those objectives?”

She raised an eyebrow at the continuing questions, but laughed it off. “Ah I see, playing the part of inquisitor. To chase after answers like a hound to the scent. Very well: Peace. Freedom. Respect. I am tired of these endless petty gang wars: I tried to do something about it by taking out Roy Mustang and taking his water treatment plant, but was foiled, as you recall. I want the city to be free from control by oppressive regimes I have no doubt the Enclave wish to install. And I want vengeance on my foes for daring to oppose me, and I have so many foes.”

“Simple enough.” I said slowly, my eyes never leaving her.

Hers left mine though when one of the Finishers brought in a bowl of fresh, slightly brown apples. She took a knife from her suit, stabbed it into it, brought it to her mouth and took a bite. “In return you have the Baises. The strongest gang left in Dise. Hundreds of ponies strong. And I have been recruiting. Dise may still hate me, but my ponies love me.” She chewed, swallowed, then wiped her mouth with a sleeve. “Are you happy now?”

“For now.”

It was another twenty minutes of tense silence before the next pony arrived. Serenity was napping peacefully under the table when Major Lucky arrived with his own retinue of troops. He still looked ragged from his near-death experience at the train station (Though ghouls nearly always looked ragged). It felt like forever ago, but he seemed to hold the injuries close, given the way he carefully covered the hole in his chest that was created by a minotaur spear with his loose fitting uniform.

He sat sharply down at his seat and his NCA troops behind him snapped to attention. “At ease.” He barked, and they obeyed. “Hired Gun, Molly.” He tilted his head slightly in recognition to both of us.

“We meet again, Lucks,” Molly said, still leaning back in her chair. Across the table her gangers and the NCA troops exchanged glares.

“I am surprised you’re here,” I said to Lucky, who seemed distinctly uncomfortable and stiff at the his seat. “I thought the NCA gave up on Dise.”

“Of course not.” His toned seethed with arrogance. “However our focus was to remove the minotaur threat, but with the bridge gone we could not pursue and were forced to reassess. With the new ceasefire we are looking to help stabilize the city.”

“Looking to capitalize on the chaos?” I asked, but it was less of a question, and more of a statement.

“Just so,” Lucky said sharply in what I had to assume was his drill command voice. “I think we all can agree the status quo of Dise was not working. Why not a new one? We are looking into possibilities.”

“We’ve been over this before, Lucks; Dise won’t bow before foreign overlords. The NCA will never tame the city like an obedient dog,” Molly replied before I got a chance to say anything.

“Nor would we want to.” He looked over at me, pointedly ignoring Molly. “You are interested in our intentions, this is clear, so I will be clear if only because if the help you have provided us in the past. We want to see a stable Dise. Stability allows the NCA to thrive, and continue existing: if that means NCA rule, or if that means another solution, then so be it. The only thing we will not allow for is a system of perpetual gang warfare that existed before. These are the terms of our assistance.”

“I’m glad you listened to reason, Lucks,” Molly said still wearing that smile plastered on her face. “And look, we got more ponies to attend our shindig. And you thought it was going to be a dull affair.”

“Indeed,” Lucky said not even sparing Molly a glance. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The last two ponies who entered I hardly needed to question for their motives, as I already knew them. The Steel Ranger Paladin Lemon Cake entered next. She took one look at her chair and shoved it aside, preferring to stand a stark imposing figure in her newly cleaned and shined armour as two Applejack Rangers flanked her. We had already made our deal, so what was there to discuss.

Not long behind her came High General Steel Wing in his shiny black Pegasus power armour. Now, I understood why the two of them wore power armour to the meeting, but it looked quite awkward as he took a seat at his chair. It was easy to see the tension between him and the Rangers across the table. With him came three enclave troops, and Flash, Flare’s brother. At this point I had to ask.

“Where is Flare?” I just sort of assumed he was going to be a part of the negotiations.

The High General looked down the table at me, “Specialist Flare is a well-regarded field agent who has redeemed himself in my eyes. However, he is not required for planning or negotiation purposes.” I was about to ask but Flash cut me off. “His brother is here due to his recent defection from the traitors. He may have unique knowledge.”

That was about as much as he could say when the entrance to the room burst open, and music started blaring. Striding towards the table, flanked by photographers, and flashing lights. She was wearing a red and black dress that looked deceptively heavy, no doubt from armor plates I was sure were sewn into the fabric. She strode by with more confidence than she had earlier that day, grabbed her seat, spun it, and took her place at the head of the table across from me. Say what you want about the Finishers, but they had a sense of style that was unmistakable.

She rose one hoof and instantly the rest of the Finishers in the rest of the room left in a simple orderly fashion leaving water, food, and a few writing supplies on the table. When the door closed Photo Finish lowered her hoof and said. “And so we are here.” That was my cue to kick Serenity awake to make sure she didn’t miss anything. She whined, but she’d appreciate it later.

“Let us get on with it,” Major Lucky said brusquely. “Time is not necessarily in our favour.”

“Then we shall,” Photo Finish said. “Dise is in chaos, it has come to our attention that those currently seeking to lead it cannot be trusted. You have all been briefed on the details, and if you have any issues with that speak no—”

“Pony megaspells,” the High General said before Photo Finish could, finish her sentence. “I am to believe The Watchers are committing these crimes with necromancy? I have no love lost for the Watchers, but this is frankly difficult to swallow.”

“Open wide, little birdy,” Molly responded. “I saw it with my own eyes, black and dark and evil and burning. Like looking into the eyes of a dragon. Nearly got executed as I tried to take this knowledge home.”

“So you claim,” the General said. “A lovely excuse to explain why you were so easily captured as the city fell into chaos. To think you were even invited here, as if we could trust the word of a ganger who—”

“Oh it’s true,” Major Lucky said, which was a bit of a shock. “Molly is a murderous mobster, but she is telling the truth. Ask Hired Gun if you want.” He waved his hoof towards me. “She warned me and Major General Hailstorm about it, told us about a chip in the head. We found a pony in our ranks it had been done to, and lo and behold. Further tests confirm immense magic in them.” Just them talking about it made me feel the fire in the veins burning and smoldering. “Therefore we chose to help. We need Dise stable, and with ponies who could do that… they can’t be trusted.”

“That is…” The Enclave General paused, seemingly lost in thought.

“Most likely the truth,” Lemon Cake said. “Watcher personnel were heavily involved at the Facility, and I was witness to a megaspell chamber there first hand. With all this other evidence, as fanciful as it may be.”

“Nopony will believe it,” the High General said, “true though it may be. It is my understanding you all wish to rule Dise when this is over, but that truth won’t do.”

Of course, it was unbelievable, how could anypony believe ponies were experimented on, megaspells planted into their bodies, then sent back to live their lives like nothing happened? If we tried to use that to justify taking power we would just been seen as opportunists and ambitious. We couldn’t hold anything like that.

“The answer is obvious,” Major Lucky explained. “We blame the Enclave.” The High General scoffed openly. “Foreigners from a northern war, equipped with a super weapon that kept the city at heel. They infiltrated The Watchers to corrupt them in a naked power grab.”

The idea put a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe there was no right answer, but the idea of letting the Watchers go free, to let people think they were only guilty of being too naïve made my blood boil. They had done too much to me, to my family, to even think that was an acceptable answer. They would pay in blood for what they did, Clean Cutt especially, and they could just try and keep me silent. I didn’t speak my reservations though, that would come later.

And I didn’t need to as a different fight was brewing.

“How convenient,” The High General seethed. “You would blame those who destroyed my home, who betrayed me, and in the same stroke ensure nopony would ever trust us again. I see through your games. You have no hope of holding this city without us, and I won’t allow you to use this underhanded tactic to sully our name.”

“You’re being absurd,” Major Lucky growled back. “Nopony will trust you to lead them because you are untrustworthy.” If there wasn’t a fight before, there was about to be one. The High General slammed his hoof on the table and started to say something, but Lucky just sat there and spoke over him. “Pegasi will never be trusted in power. You betrayed your own kind sixty years ago to come here, and people haven’t forgotten. Then you betrayed yourselves again. Not to mention the atrocities your kind perpetrated in the north. And the events at Bitter Steel. These won’t be forgiven. This excuse will change nothing, you will never be allowed anywhere near the leadership of Dise.”

“As if you’re much better.” Molly laughed. “The lot of you. The NCA left Dise in its time of need; the Enclave Remnants, well the less said the better; and you.” She waved a hoof at Paladin Lemon Cake without looking. “What have Steel Rangers done for Dise? You’re the worst of them all. If we play it well we can all win some good will, but not that good.” She stabbed herself another apple from the table and took a bite.

“Dahling, you are hardly vun to talk,” Photo Finish said with a flick of her mane. “So unpopular the citizens of your city arrested you and tied you up. Nopony will ever trust someone like—”

“Like me.” Molly stopped eating her apple and shot a glare at Photo Finish from across the table. For the first time, she took her hind hooves off the table and sat up straight, like a cat who spied an easy kill. “Now I agreed to attend your little meeting of the mice because I am a kind and generous soul who only wishes to help. But I think you came to insult me. So, tell me, what did you mean someone like me.”

“Dahling, I only meant your position as a gang leader no—”

“Just some ass,” High General Steel Wing scoffed.

“You fucking bird!” Molly was on her hooves having whipped her dagger and the apple with it at the table. As the dagger imbedded itself in the middle of the Enclave Symbol, Molly was grabbing at her shotgun.

“Stop this madness!” Lucky was shouting, suddenly on his hooves, but nobody was listening.

“We are trying to come to—” Photo Finish tried to say, but someone had kicked the bowl of apples in the chaos and it hurtled into her face.

“How dare you!” The High General said before starting to bark orders to his men.

This was getting ugly. Lemon Cake was backing up, edging to the door. Photo Finish was grabbing her face with her hooves, blood seeping through as her mares started to move her away. Molly and Steel Wing were going to kill each other, and I wasn’t certain Lucky was going to stop them.

But somepony had to.

I grabbed the bottom of the table and heaved. The table spun through the air and slammed into the wall with a crack. As it slid down the wall onto its side, I stood up. The shouting was done, for the moment, and all eyes were on me. There were advantages to always being the largest pony in the room.

“We don’t have to like each other.” I growled. “It’d be fucked up if we did. But we need to work together. This ends two ways. Either The Watchers and everything they represent rules Dise. Or we do. We find a way to work together. We grit our teeth. Make it through. We grow the fuck up and put our squabbles aside.” My glare went from pony to pony in the room, never blinking or stopping on one pony for too long. “Or we walk out that door right now.

“I don’t know about all of you. But I am tired of fighting. Of hurting. Of losing the ones I loved. My friends. We have the chance to end it. And we can. Or we can keep these petty squabbles. The in-fighting. We can do what The Watchers have been making us do. Fight each other. Never being able to see the cause. So let’s work this out.”

Lucky stared at me grimly before looking over at the rest of the ponies. “You speak nice. But it’s clear our goals don’t align. We can’t all rule Dise, and the NCA won’t abide by more chaos.”

“Why not?” My breath was shallow, and my voice hoarse. I hadn’t realized I had yelled most of my speech. “We don’t need one leader. We can meet. Like we are right now. Vote on changes.”

The High General looked sternly at me. “We have tried Democracy above the clouds. It is prone to corruptions and politicking.”

“Meeting in a room and lying is better than lying to shoot each other.” I said. It was as good an argument as I had. “We meet, we vote. If we can accept these rules… it’ll be a better way than before. It has to be.”

Molly was seething, it was plain to see it in her face, but she took a deep breath and took her seat again, though there was no table to accompany it. “Works for me.” That is the thing that shocked me the most of this whole endeavor. “These meetings are exciting. All the fun of shouting at you dogs without having to get my shotgun dirty.”

“I hate to say it,” Major Lucky said taking his seat as well, “but Hired Gun is right. That is a system like some of the cities in the NCA. We can provide advice on the rules and regulations.”

“And who, pray tell, will ensure they are applied properly? Who backs it up?” Steel Wing demanded, shooting daggers at Molly. “She nearly killed me, and I am to trust her word.”

I shot a glance over at Photofinish who was wiping off blood from her nose. She looked confused at my stare but then nodded. “I vill.” All eye turned to the flamboyant mare. “I have under my control all the Ponitrons in Dise. Unlike you vall I have no… quarrels. The Finishers have acted alone and for myself with no involvement in the petty battles outside our walls. And so we will remain.”

The seemed to appease Steel Wing enough that he nodded. “All of them? Does that not change up our battle plans? That is an army; with that we could wrest control of the city easily.”

“But not without bloodshed,” Photo Finish added. “We must take zis vun step at a time, and we mustn’t overplay our hand. If we can take out the enclave, the Watchers vill fall as they have no means of combat.”

“I am amazed,” Paladin Lemon Cake said, walking away from the door. “You managed to calm things down. And all I heard about you was about how you riled things up. This might work yet. Though I have one question.” When I nodded she knew to continue. “Has your filly been there the whole time?”

I looked down to see Serenity sitting there enveloped in pink magic to hide her sounds. With the table no longer on top of her, I was surprised it took people that long to notice her, and when she realized everyone was looking at her she let the magic drop. “Uh, hi,” Serenity said shyly, moving towards me. “Um…” She shrunk as everyone continued to stare at her. “This was a lot less boring than Momma said it was going to be.”

---

By the time the meeting was over, hours had passed. We had discussed a lot, and not all of it was in a logical order, but together we hammered out a plan, an excuse, and what we were going to do when it was all over. There were a few more shouting matches, and some egos had to be soothed, but it was better than I expected if I am being truthful.

We decided to start our operation just before dawn. Using the rising sun to hide their advance, the Enclave Remnant would carry in wagons and vertibucks. Together with select members of the NCA and some of Molly’s Gangers (and me), they were going to infiltrate and take over the Raptor as quickly and quietly as possible. The goal was going to be take out their senior leadership, especially Colonel Sky Fall, then force the remainder to surrender, a repeat of what I had accidentally done with Blackwater.

From there Photo Finish would use the Ponitrons to broadcast a message, while at the same time advancing block to block from the northern gate to the far south. The goal was not to fire on anyone unless they fired back. With each block secured, the remainder of the ponies would try to round the populace up and get the message out about Dise’s new ownership and the treachery of the Enclave and the Watchers. If anyone opposed, they’d be sectioned, but nobody was to be killed unless they were a direct threat.

The goals were simple and well-defined, and made enough sense to me. I was not master of battlefield strategy but if we wanted to hold the city we needed to take out our biggest threat, the Raptor. Then, hopefully, we could convince the populace to accept us. It was hard convincing the others not to try and exonerate The Watchers to make things easier: they deserved everything that was coming to them. But, if everything went well, we would have full control of the city by the end of the day tomorrow.

Then we would start rebuilding.

That was almost as daunting as the prospects of the fight tomorrow. Not just rebuilding the physical buildings that had been destroyed, and Celestia knows there was enough of those, but the trust that the city could be at peace. Ever since the balefire bomb that blew up over the train station, things have fallen deeper and deeper into systematic chaos, and to think that it could climb out of that hole? It was hard even for me to believe. But I had to believe.

After the meeting was over, I quickly slid out, not wanting to get caught up a moment more. I wanted to see Flare before things got out of control with preparation, to make sure he was doing okay, to ensure that he was going into this with a good head on his shoulders. Enough had happened to him after he lost his wing…

We were directed to the eastern section of Parasite Mound. More decrepit than the main body, this part of town was mostly destroyed buildings and large empty areas where buildings once stood but had completely picked over for scrap. It had been empty once, but now it was filled with tents. Some out in the open, others inside buildings or the canvas used to cover up holes in the more secure buildings.

The tent city seemed split between Enclave, Ranger, and NCA given their flags flying all over the place, and the tents themselves never mixed. I didn’t know where Molly’s gangers were; most likely the majority were still holed up inside her Casino in the city proper. I started towards the Enclave section of the city when I spotted an intersection in the road that split the makeshift camp.

There in the middle of the road was a roaring fire with skewers of rats and apples on a spit above the fire. Around the fire was mostly children by the looks of it, some older than Serenity but most younger, sitting around on old tires, bricks, and other objects looking towards a stallion on the far side of the fire. The stallion, with his flamboyant movements and sly grin, was unmistakably Flare.

“Hired!” He waved his one wing at me when he saw me move up, “I was just about to tell another story, come and take a seat.”

I moved closer watching the eyes of the foals on me. Unicorn foals, earth pony foals, pegasus foals, at least one zebra which was a surprise, and a curious foal who was covered head to toe in a hooded cloak and their head down so I couldn’t see their face. These foals didn’t care about the petty fighting of their parents; they were united in their desire for a good story.

“Another time maybe. The meeting ended and I—”

“It can wait,” Flare said sternly, waving towards the fire. “I’m sure Serenity would love a story, just take a seat.” I was about to object, but I looked down to Serenity with her big round eyes, and how could I say no?

“Fine.” I groaned as I took a seat on the ground across from Flare, Serenity beside me. “But make it quick.”

Flare gave me a wink and started his tale. “Now this tale takes place not so long ago, and not so far away. There was a small town, and a shocking murder most foul! The accused was dragged before the local mayor and told to plead his case. Now she was the mangey sort, with spiked armour and dilated eyes that darted around nervously. A known ganger that held territory not far from town, and this is the story she told.

“‘Yer honour, I am a scoundrel but ‘tain’t true, I ain’t no heckin’ murderer! The pony were a merchant and had this fancy gun I wanted ya dig? So I spoke to his partner, and we agreed to split the prize fifty, even stevens. He’d lead him outta town and I’d hold’em up real simple right. But something twekered in his head! He right shot his partner as soon as I tried’a threaten him. Now I ain’t no murderer so I fled, ya see. I wanted the gun but it weren’t worth that. I left the fancy piece on the ground when I fled.’

“The mayor was annoyed at this, but he wanted to get to the bottom for the murder so he had the dead pony’s partner taken before him. When questioned, the partner had this to say ‘Sir, I did not murder this pony, and I have never met him before the attack. I was going about my business as I normally do, helping my partner lead a trade deal, when that scoundrel held us up demanding that gun. I admit I panicked and reached for my weapon to defend myself and that is when she shot my partner. I scared her off, but I am a poor shot and she escaped.

“Now normally this would be enough for the mayor, as one pony was an upstanding citizen and the other was little more than a raider. However, there was a puzzle piece missing that gnawed at the mayor. Both sides spoke of a gun the mugger wanted but when his guards searched the crime scene there was no gun to be found. He put out a notice that anyone who knew about the weapon was to report to him. A few days later a farmer appeared in his office, and said he knew of the murder

“‘I saw the murder. More than that, three days before the murder, I saw the mugger and the partner in a back alley in town, exchanging caps. I was worried so I followed them when they left town. The mugger and the partner both jumped him at the same time. There was a scuffle and all three started to draw their weapons. Multiple shots went out and before I could intervene the merchant was dead. Both ponies looked panicked and fled the scene. If you looked at the gunshot you would be able to tell who killed him, as the partner had a pistol and the mugger had a shotgun.

“Now the mayor took all this information and thought about it long and hard throughout the night. If the farmer was right both were guilty, even if both didn’t shoot. The next morning he arose and brought all three to his office to announce the punishments for the crime. Do you know what he did?”

Serenity was the first to answer: “Let them go because it was an accident?”

Another foal laughed. “The partner was to blame! He should be punished; he betrayed his friend!”

“The mugger was crazy,” a filly yelled back. “Just like you, stinkbutt; he should go.”

“The mugger was cool, the partner was a jerk!”

“The merchant was dumb for going out without a guard,” one pegasi scoffed.

“The mayor hung them both, I bet!”

“You’re all dumb. The farmer was punished.” This caught the attentions of all the foals, as they looked to see which voice in the mass said that. Eyes were drawn to the quiet foal in the brown hooded cloak. “He knew about the weapon. When the mugging took place, he hid away and shot the merchant. When the others, fled he stole the gun. That’s why it wasn’t there.” His voice sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place where I knew it from.

All at once the foals’ heads turned to Flare who was sitting there with a mischievous smile on his face. A pegasi filly asked him: “Well Mr. Flare, who was it? Who was the killer, we gotta know.”

Flare waved his hooves towards the fire and laughed, “Nobody knows who the killer was. Not you, not the mayor, not me. But this is a lesson for us all fillies and colts. A story is only as good as the pony telling it.”

---

Flare seemed to get a kick out of his story, but he did stop storytelling when I told him it was serious. He took the news gracefully and even volunteered to join the assault of the Raptor with me. Which is what I expected. We had been through so much together, what was one more fight in the grand scheme of things, really? Well, it was a lot, but still.

The three of us left the camp and returned to our hotel room to prepare for the adventure that next morning. Ideally we would get some sleep, but I still had a promise to keep. And when we were all together I told my companions my plan.

“Are you sure this is wise?” Platinum Haze asked. “We understand you made this promise to Baptisia, but this can be done after the battle. It would be best if you got sleep before.”

“Ideally yes,” I said taking a seat on our bed, looking back at the three of them. “But Wallkirk is… a problem. He gave me control of the Ponitrons. But I can’t be sure he won’t take control back. Or if he can. I can’t risk it. I need to remove him. And I need to do it before the attack.”

“You’ll be going into dangerous territory; you’ll need backup. Just in case.” Flare patted his chest. “Just let me go get my armour and I’ll see what I can do. Might be able to carry your ass out of the fire one more time.”

I had to laugh. “Flare you can’t even lift me.”

He blanched somewhat and said defensively, “I can so!” I laughed some more.

“I think it would be better,” Platinum Haze said bringing the conversation back around to the topic at hand, “if Serenity and I stay here. We have a safe place, and we are not equipped to fight this battle.”

“Awww, but I wanna help Momma.”

“You can help here,” I said resting a hoof on Serenity’s head. “If anyone gets hurt, you can help the Finisher medics. Platinum Haze, too. You don’t need to be a fighter to help people,” I said soothingly, or as soothing as my voice would allow.

“Are you sure Momma? What if you need us.”

“Then you’ll come for me. You always do.” Serenity scrunched up her face a little before nodding. She was still injured, and it was a bad idea to drag her into these things at the best of times.

“So that’s it then?” asked Flare. “We go off to deal with Wallkirk, come back, hit the Raptor, and end this once and for all? At least Curly Fries is around so when it all goes wrong I can blame him to his face.” He chuckled, as did Serenity who never tired of Curly Fries jokes.

“Just need to get our equipment.” I looked over to Platinum Haze. “Did you do the thing?”

She got to her hooves and nodded at me, “Follow me.” And so, I did. As I said before I loved to watch Haze leave so I had no issue following her as she made her way into the bathroom of our little hotel room. With the two of us in there it was more than a little cramped, but we made do the way we always do.

In her magic glow was my barding. It had seen a lot of wear and tear throughout our adventures, but after a wash, and whatever Haze did to it, it looked good as knew. Hell, it seemed to glow a little bit in the dim light of the room we were in. When I went to grab it Platinum haze leaned down to kiss me.

My face flushed and my body damn near melted. I needed this. I needed her. “You know,” I said pulling away slightly. “We have time. I could kick them out. Have the room to ourselves. Take off some stress before the fight you know…”

“My sweet Silver,” she said in a tone that I knew meant she did not approve. “This is not the time. When this is all done… I mean.” She blushed. “I have thought about it obviously. But…” She clearly had a speech prepared so I enjoyed it when she stumbled over her words at the thought. “Later, I promise.”

“Fine,” I said trying my best to copy Serenity’s tone when she wanted something. “I guess.”

She gave me another quick kiss to calm my whining and sighed. “Before you go. Just remember what we discussed. You will never be me, nor I you. But if it comes down to it, know there are ways to achieve your goals other than violence. I am impressed by what you managed to accomplish, but it could all be taken away… just don’t make the same mistakes the Destroyer did. Don’t destroy what can be salvaged.”

“I love you Haze.” That had nothing to do with what she said, but I felt like saying it. “I… I won’t make any promises. But I’ll try. Okay?”

“Okay…” She sighed once more. “Stay safe, and strong. If anypony can do this, it is you; have no doubt about that.”

It was my turn to give her one more kiss. But then I had to turn away and take another step forward. Towards my encounter with Wallkirk. Towards the enclave raptor waiting for me. Towards the Watchers. Towards Clean Cutt. For good or ill, things were about to change, and this time I was the one who held the power. I was done being everypony’s puppet, it was my turn.

I took another step, and never turned back.

Level Up!

Skill Note: Nil!