I groaned, getting to my hooves. Long distance teleportation was hard enough, without needed to carry along two others. I fished out another spark battery, plugging it into my temple. Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. The energy flowed through the various wires in my skull and horn, a few sparks flying from my horn as it hummed lightly back to life. I tossed the dead battery into my saddle-bag. Never know when I might find a workbench. I turned to face the mare, who simply stood, aghast.

“WHAT THE FUCK-” She stopped suddenly, her pupils going small. “Oh crap.” She muttered, rushing over to a microphone lying on the table. “And, heh, ah, that was… uh… You know what; let’s listen to that one again!” She placed the needle back on the record, flipping a switch. The light on the microphone flipped from green to red. She turned back to us, Twintails shakily getting up, making sure not to put any weight on his splinted leg. “What the heck are you doing here?”

We looked back and forth between ourselves. “Uh… eheh, I guess my calculations were wrong.” I blushed. “I was trying to get us back to Mooscow.” I pulled up the map on my Pip-Buck. A small gear icon popped up, the words “Stable 92” beneath it. Well, we were at least half way to Mooscow. I guess I just needed more power for the jump. Ooh, and we’re right next to the Sunset Sarsparilla- no wait, better ignore that. I don’t need a refresher to why I should shoot Twintails in the face.

“You’re still a ways away from there.” The DJ said, then taking notice of Twintails’ injured leg. “Ah, hey, are you alright?” She stepped towards Twintails. “There are still a bunch of healing potions in the medical bays, if you need one.”

“If you really don’t mind sparing a couple, I don’t think two ponies crashing on top of it really helped.” He winced as he shifted his weight a little onto his broken leg. “I can still walk, at least.” He slowly walked over to us, shaking his head a little. “Ugh… I don’t think pegasi were meant to teleport like that.”

“Alright, let me just set up the next song.” The mare said, levitating another record onto the player as the current song died down. “There we are. Name’s Hi-Fi by the way... or, 'Bert the Turtle', depending on who's asking.” She trotted over to the door, it opening automatically as she approached. We followed behind her, Tom and I walking behind Twintails. “Honestly, you’re lucky this Stable even has a medical bay. I heard there were some that didn’t even have bathrooms.” Oooookay, didn’t need that idea planted in my head.

Hi-Fi headed downstairs, another door sliding up and leading into a small room with several cots and various medical equipment. She rummaged around in one of the lockers, pulling out a healing potion and a large syringe. She screwed the potion onto the end of the syringe as Tom and I helped Twintails onto one of the cots. “Now hold still, I’m not exactly a trained physician.” She placed the needle gently on Twintails leg, paused for a moment, then shoved the needle in. Didn't know you could just directly inject healing potions like that...

She forced the potion into Twintails, who grunted a little as the magic knitted together his bones and muscles. She pulled out the syringe, popping out the empty bottle. Twintails removed the splint from around his leg, bending it a little. He hopped off of the bed, letting off a sigh. “Oooh, that's -much- better. Thanks, Hi-Fi, right?” She nodded, sticking a Ministry of Peace bandage over where she stuck in the needle. He perked up a moment, smiling. “Hey, would you guys happen to have a Neutron Dampening Coil here? My Stable’s broke, and we’re going to need one soon before the reactor overheats... hopefully without Gamma near it...” He turned his head away, gnawing on his lower lip. Gamma... was she more than just his boss-whatever?

Hi-Fi thought for a moment. “I don’t think this so, the reactor was pretty small here. From the sound of it, this Stable was actually built to specifications, it just shut up and opened years later. In fact, this one opened a long time ago, and nearly everyone evacuated.” She sighed a little. “I guess… I just can’t leave this place. But, hey, I do have pretty much an unlimited supply of food and medicine. And somepony has to keep all those wanderers entertained.” We passed the radio room, Hi-Fi switching over another record. “I’ll show you to the door, the password’s kind of complicated anyway.”

Tom’s ears perked up as we trotted through the hall. Huh, I guess I never really thought of how tendons worked. “How far away can this station be heard?” I thought for a moment, the Stable looked like it had held up really well, it could probably be heard by anyone who had a Pip-Buck within a good 50 kilometers. Hi-Fi confirmed this and Tom’s grin widened a little more. “Say… you wouldn’t be looking for some new… heh, or old, talent, would you? I’m Tom Neighrer.”

Hi-Fi stopped. “Wait, hold up just a bucking second here… Tom Neighrer? You've got to-” She turned to look at him, staring for a few moments. “Wha- I- yeah!” She said, a wide grin sprawling across her face. “I’ve heard some of your stuff, I really like it. I-If you really don’t mind…”

Tom chuckled. “If my other option is heading back to Quebuck and playing for the brain-dead Ghouls, this sounds much more appealing.” He chuckled. We came to the entrance room, the lights a little dimmer than the rest of the Stable. Hi-Fi trotted over to the control panels, starting to punch in the password.

Twintails turned to Tom. “Wait… you’re not coming with us?” His ears flopped down, looking disappointed. “But, I haven’t even told you my favorite song of yours! Or showed you my own songs, or-” He stopped, thinking about what he was saying. “Wow, I sound really creepy, don’t I?” I nodded, cringing slightly.

Tom was matching my expression, though he quickly regained his composure. “Well, there’ll be a lot more songs coming out soon, don’t you worry. You won’t have to hear the same four songs over and over.” Hi-Fi glared at him. He shrugged, laughing a little. “Sorry, Hi-Fi, but I’m pretty sure I have your entire library memorized. Granted living for a couple hundred years may have played into that a little, but who knows, really?”

Hi-Fi finished plugging in the password, the red light above the door starting to flash, alarms blaring. The huge metal beam lowered from the ceiling and connected itself to the gear. There was a painfully loud scraping sound as the gear was pulled from the door, then rolled aside, revealing a small tunnel leading to a wooden door. I thought back to Stable 76, sighing a little. …I shouldn’t have just run out. I should’ve at least said goodbye. I trotted into the cool cave, before I noticed Twintails wasn’t following me.

I turned, before a smile found its way onto his mouth. I put my hoof up, trying to cover my snickering as Twintails had practically leaped onto Tom, pulling him into a hug. “Alright, but I’m holding you to that. We know where you live now.” He chuckled, heading out of the door. I smiled back and waved at Hi-Fi and Tom, the door starting to noisily roll back into its place. “Well, I guess we’d better head back to N.E.A.M.O., Megaspell Mary isn’t going to fix herself. I just wished we could’ve found that coil.”

“We’ll find it soon enough. Besides, wouldn’t your Stable try contacting you if it really started to fail?” I asked, opening the door. The bright light blinded us for a moment, the cold air biting at our exposed flesh. Twintails shrugged, though I could tell he was still a little worried. “Don’t worry. If you’d like, we could head there as soon as we deliver the chips.”

He smiled a little, flipping on the radio on his Pip-Buck. There was some silence before Hi-Fi/Bert came on. “Hey there, all you wasteland wanderers, we just got some new classics at the Station. Tom Neighrer crashed in just a while ago, and he’s here to dig up some of his old tunes and share them with all you raiders hopped up on Jet.”

A bit of static, then a slightly garbled ragtime piano tune started up.


First you’ll bow down on all fours
To those mighty Alicorns
Hang out with the highest class.
And
Kiss some ass
Kiss some ass
Kiss some ass

Do whatever that would please ya’
If you don’t mind brown nos-ing ‘Tia

Everypony say their own Kyrie Eleison
Doing the Canterlot Rag!

I bit back a laugh, lowering and shaking my head. “Twintails, did I just help a revolutionist?” Twintails just laughed along with me as we climbed down the side of the mountain towards the road to Mooscow.

We arrived again in Mooscow late in the day, trotting up to the barricade, the talismans jangling a little in our saddlebags. We looked around, expecting Bloodbeak to pop out of the rubble. “Maybe security loosened up now that trade’s open again.” Twintails guessed. I tilted my head a little, I suppose it is a possibility. We opened the large oak doors into Mooscow proper, some ponies heading back and forth between stores. We headed back to the same hotel we’d stayed at the night before, waving hello to Old Colt Johnson as we passed him. A couple ponies behind him pointed and snickered, but he only laughed and ignored them.

As we approached the hotel, my stomach grumbled loudly. I blushed, Twinatils’ stomach growling a little too. “Minty, how about you go on in and drop off the talismans. I’m going to go grab us some dinner.” Twintails said, heading off in another direction. I entered the hotel, wondering what Twintails was going to grab. Maybe we could get some daffodil subs.

I walked up to the receptionist, a few fillies playing checkers as their parents chatted, drinking some coffee. I pulled out my bag of caps, but the mare waved it away. “Oh, no, don’t worry. Bloodbeak’s still paying for your stay. Trade’s been much better after you and your friend’s help.” She slid the key across the desk. “Room 206, the same one as before.”

I took the key, thanking her and headed to the stairs. I rubbed my eyes, realizing how tired I actually was. I hope Twintails got back soon, I was ready to just flop down into bed right now. I unlocked the door to the room after climbing up four flights of stairs… jeez my legs were sore. I lifted my saddlebags off, making sure not to damage the chips inside or annoy the residents below us.

I proceeded to slide the metal plating of my armor off, rolling my head around, and cracking my joints. Ooooh, that felt good. I flopped down onto the bed, noticing a copy of “Rusty’s Electronics: Volume III” on the nightstand. There was a third edition? I’d practically memorized the first two back in the Stable. I flipped it open, scanning the contents. Miniguns, Tesla Cannons, Balefire Egg Launchers, Gauss Rifles… looks like I just found the complete guide to big gun repair! I doubt they’d mind if this book went missing, I’ll just leave a generous tip on the table.

There was a knock at the door just I’d turned to the schematics of a Flamer. I opened the door, Twintails walking in with a few chunks of… something wrapped up in cloth. “Hey, you lucked out; they just cooked up some bear meat when I got there! Heh... they were just surprised to've seen me eat a whole steak so fast the first time..." He handed me one of the wrapped hunk, unraveling the cloth around his own. I tentatively sniffed the bear meat - it actually smelled strangely enticing.

I unwrapped the meat, my stomach growling again. I bit into it, my eyes widening a little as juice flowed over my tongue. I quickly devoured the meat, feeling the meat sit a little heavily in my gut. “Where did you get that, it was amazing!” I asked, Twintails having already eaten his chunk.

“There’s this small restaurant halfway between here and Razorwing’s shop, maybe we can stop there before we head out in the morning.” I nodded, tossing the cloth in the garbage as Twintails took off his saddlebags and placed them next to mine. I flopped down in bed, Twintails climbing in on the other side. The arcane lamp beside the bed flicked off easily enough, leaving the room in darkness.

---

I trotted through the maintenance areas of the Stable, the lights flickering slightly. Honestly, I swear I looked at the generator more often than I did a mirror. I opened the door, revealing the large beast - magnets spun wheels, arcs of lightning jumpped between large coils, just the same as always. I quickly trotted up to the terminal, plugging my horn into a jack near the board. Achh… how does this generator create so much power and not send it to where it needs to go? My eyes filled with code, an organized chaos of numbers and letters rushing through my mind. Sparks flew as I attempted to rewrite the code, before the rumbling died down, the lights failing.

I removed my horn from the terminal, doing my best to find my way around in the dark. I found my way to the back of the generator, pulling off an access panel, revealing a large collection of wires. I pulled at a couple, looking for any damage. “Minty?” A familiar voice asked from the darkness. I tried to look around the generator. Twintails… or, Cross Stitch must have found his way down. I fiddled with the wires, trying to power it back on before they reached the room. I yanked on a cord - suddenly a powerful rush of electricity coursed through my body, causing myself to violently shake, my horn taking a blow as the augmentations were overloaded. I yelled, my field of view filled with a bright light.

---

I sat up in bed, breathing heavily and staring into that bright light again, my eyes adjusting. Bloodbeak was standing over us, holding a large electrical lamp in her claw. “Guys, guys, get up, there’s something you need to hear!” She dragged me away from Twintails, pulling me out of bed. She fiddled with my Pip-Leg, pulling up the radio. A new station had appeared, “Stable 34 EBS”. A robotic voice crackled on as Bloodbeak shook Twintails awake.

“This is an automated distress message from Stable-Tec, Stable 34. Message begins.” The voice disappeared, replaced by an older, more feminine voice. Twintails’ pupils shrank as he recognized the voice.

"This is Gamma Ray of Stable 34, reactor maintainence. We're not sure exactly what happened... dirty bomb, probably... but our Stable atrium is flooded with near-lethal radiation, and half of the Stable is dead or dying..." The mare drew in a labored breath, coughing. It sounded wet. "...somepony, anypony, please come and get us out of here. Twintails... if you're hearing this, I want to say... I'm sorry. There's no such thing as a Neutron-Dam-" She burst into a fit of coughing, spitting up a wet something and grunting. "...Coil. Mayflower thought that you were using the missing fuel rods to make a bomb... Twintails... I'm so sorry..." The mare on the radio began to silently start weeping.

The robotic voice returned. “Message repeats.”

I flipped off the radio, looking over at Twintails, who was struck dumb. He seemed to shudder, tuning his own pip-buck radio to the signal, Bloodbeak standing in the doorway, watching. I rubbed my eyes, fitting my armor back on and looking back to him, the pair of rifles madly swinging about on his saddle as he emptied his saddlebags, grabbing everything he needed from the pile. It was going to be one of those kind of days...

<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>