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The exploration of the building had proved mostly fruitless at the point. Aside from medical supplies, and several groups of mutants, the giddy feeling of hunting monsters almost twice my size was diminishing. It was almost absurd how violently the two-headed mutants fell apart.

I was on verge of smashing a room when I heard a surprised shout. Teacup had found something! I dashed out and followed her pipbuck tag. Upon locating her I was met by my other companions, as well as a familiar, gear-shaped door of a stable, this one with 55 emblazened on the front.

"Well wouldja look at that..." I said, whistling. "Guess those rumors were true too."

Ronier walked up to the control panel and examined it. "Seems like it's unlocked, just a flip heeere... then hit this..." as she pressed the button, the massive door screeched, before popping out and sliding away. I frowned at the memory of my own stable, before shaking it off.

"Well, time to see what's hidden in this s**t hole." I said, smirking as I strode into the now open door. I ignored the other's collective groans. They'll learn to deal with it.

"I hope nothing too bad is down there..." I heard teacup say in her usual quiet, timid way.

"Ah hope ma n' pa are okay... Don't want anything to happen to my new lil' sister..." Black Powder said. I stopped dead, as did Ronier.

"Wait, new little sister?" Ronier asked, looking rather perplexed. "what little sister?"

"Well... uh..." Black Powder shuffled awkwardly. "Well, ma's..." he bit his lip.

My brain facehoofed, while my body stood locked in place, my eyes staring at him. "Your mother. Is pregnant?" I said, shocked at how this detail had gone untold by even the freaking TOWN for the past week. "Good Goddess Luna and all her years on the moon kid, next time tell us a 'minor' detail like that."

Black Powder just shuffled awkwardly, a sheepish expression slashed on his face and his cheeks burning red.

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Holy s**t.

This stable was vastly different from my home stable. And it seemed to be missing the entertainment room, which puzzled me. But the biggest thing about this stable?

Mutants. Everywhere. I will be very glad when I kill the last of the creepy two-headed freaks, because I am getting sick of even looking at them.

I glanced at Ronier as she poked her head in a maintanence closet. I looked at my pip-buck, grateful for its radiation sensor. The past few rooms had been awash with radiation, meaning OBVIOUSLY I had to run in and search them. Sighing, I turned the next corner, and promptly bumped into something, sending it and myself to the floor.

"Oof!" the object obstructing my previous advance said, startling me. I opened my eyes and took a good hard look, hearing my pip-buck slowly begin ticking.

Sitting in front of me, wearing a dirty white labcoat, was a glowing ghoul. I jumped up and levitated my combat shotgun up, quickly reducing the ghoul's head to paste on the wall behind him. My companions ran to my side soon after the shot, obviously startled.

"What the hell happened?" Ronier demanded, looking at me, before noticing the body. "Wha-Wrench Jockey!" She boxed my ear. "That might have been a sentient ghoul, meaning information!" I rubbed my ear and rolled my eyes.

Teacup stood paralyzed at the sight of the ghoul, his head gone save for his stump of a neck. Black Powder just looked away and stepped over it.

"Well fine, I'll do that next time, until then, let's keep going." I said irritably. I quickly skimmed the ghoul for useful belongings, before poking my head in another room.

Awkward silence persisted for a while, broken only by occasional groans and dripping noises from the stable. The mutants seemed thinner, but at the same time, the number of ruined rooms seemed lower.

I checked my EFS. Nothing. That was somewhat infuriating. I came to kill mutants, and suddenly they're all gone? After having been around every cornermoments ago?

I heaved a sigh and looked behind me to my companions. Black Powder and Ronier seemed to be antsy, Ronier was stoic however. Mostly, at least.

"I think the atrium is going to be up ahead." I said. "We should probably head to the living quarters." I rounded a bend. Sure enough, soor to the atrium. I opened it and walked inside... and promptly tripped over something laying in the doorway.

As I cradled my bruised nose, I heard gasps behind me, as well as Black Powder starting to stutter something. Alright. Let's flip around... A body? Mare, older then me, and... a cut open stomach? I raised an eyebrow.

"M-m-mom? MOM!" Black Powder said, tears starting to fall down his face. He ran over and shook her. "Mom, no! Please Celestia no!" he started to hyperventilate. "Who... Why!?" he stared at the hole in his deceased mother's stomach.

I walked over and took a look. The hole looked cut, specifically in that area, and carefully. "This wasn't willy-nilly killing, they wanted something out of her." I thought for a moment.

Teacup and Ronier's eyes grew to the size of saucers. They looked at me, then eachother.

"The foal!" they cried in unision, startling each other.

"But... Why...?" I pondered. The little pony in my head rolled his eyes and made a snide remark. Something about being bipolar, but he was ignored. I heard a shout off in a hallway up ahead, and pulled out Lunar Eclipse. "Now is NOT the time to bother the bloodthirsty unicorn." I growled. I checked EFS, four bars, easy enough, they're probably ghouls...

New plan, aim for legs. I activated SATS and quickly lined up my rifle with the hallway door. It opened soon after I felt SATS take full effect.

First ghoul, this one looked like she used to be an earth pony.

CRACK! CRACK!

She bowled over, landing on her face. One of her companions popped out from the hallway, this one a unicorn buck carrying an energy pistol in her teekinetic grasp.

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!

Not even a single shot in retaliation, the poor buck's horn and legs were shot out from under him. My own horn gave a small twinge of sympathy pain for the buck's shattered horn. He fell behind, cradling his new stump of a horn.

Two small unicorn mares popped out of the hallway door, each carrying energy pistols. I knew I wouldn't have enough charge on SATS to down them, so I aimed for the kill now.

CRACK! CRACK!

SATS wore off, and I had only killed one of the two unicorns. A laser zipped past my head, singing the side of my mane a little. I Dropped Lunar Eclipse and pulled out my combat shotgun.

ZAP ZAP ZAP!

Two shots zipped by me, the third struck my barding, but only singed it. Crappy pistol maintanence down here it seemed. I jumped to the side as she fired several more shots, which flew over Black Powder and narrowly missed Teacup.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The unicorn slumped down, the slugs in my combat shotgun digging into her face and chest. She caughed up dark red blood and collapsed.

I surveyed the atrium. Two bodies, two wounded, no casualties on our side. Let's see if these ghouls have any information on the kidnappings...

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