I peeked around the corner, staring down a decaying pink hallway. Two ponies wearing armor in Red Eye's colors were standing guard near a wall terminal, watching over a shallow alcove opposite them. I thought I saw the glow of a Sunrise Sarsaparilla machine coming out of it. These guards weren't actively hunting us; but as best I could tell, there was no way around them. The only other way up had collapsed decades ago.

Still, I felt a pang at the idea of attacking ponies who weren't even threatening us, slavers or not. This stretched the definition of self-defense. I wondered if it would be possible to sneak past them; but the hallway was far too narrow, and they were standing with their tails to the wall. We'd have to pass directly in front of them. And no matter how light-hooved we were, crouching didn't make us invisible.

Xenith slipped past me before I could motion to her. She had no moral hesitation about killing random members of Red Eye's forces. To my surprise, she managed to creep halfway down the hall before they spotted her. She crossed the remaining distance with a leap, landing on her forehooves and bucking one of the guards in the head hard enough to send his helmet clattering down the hallway.

Fallout: Equestria Chapter 26