(story extract)
 
The sending-off party wasn’t especially large - Gamma Ray was sniffling, brushing her thinning mane out of her eyes every now and again as she rested herself against the railing nearby. Tablet had arrived, pulling out the design for the mural she had planned to commemorate me in Stable 34’s history, a gesture I really felt quite undeserving of. I was just stepping hoof out into the wasteland, I would be back someday, eventually. She insisted, regardless… bless her heart, she’d draw the world happy if she could. Always knew just how to make anypony feel better just from her pictures, most of the time, anyways. Junebug, the Overmare’s daughter, also was in attendance - I couldn’t tell if she still harbored sadness about her pet’s accident or not, she mostly just sat and watched the proceedings. I suppose Mayflower was just busy with the rest of the Stable, needed somepony to open up the Stable’s heavy cog door with the password. It was still a bit strange, watching her just sit there while everything went forwards. Disconcerting, even.
 
Gamma had fished out an old but unused piece of riot armor from the Stable security’s armory and helped me fit into it - I imagine they weren’t expecting many pegasi to keep on the ground when the bombs started to fall. The lack of armored wings wasn’t much of a concern, probably would be better I had them out in the open if fight had to become flight. There wasn’t a helmet to go along with it, unfortunately, but for having sat around for about two centuries it was otherwise in almost perfect condition… hopefully it’d keep like that for a while. Gamma Ray rested a hoof upon my shoulder as I pulled the saddlebags on tightly, her expression twisted to the brink of tears as she looked over myself. Looking back to her with saddened eyes, I stepped forwards and drew her into a tight embrace, feeling her do the same as she began to quietly whimper through her lips. Her mane smelled faintly of decay and age, covered in a weak perfume of coolant fluid and oil - my own eyes began to water as I took a deep lungful of the familiar scents, hugging her tighter against myself as we stood in the long-vacant Stable entrance. Whimpering began to turn into faint crying as she worked out what she wanted to say.