It only seemed like moments later in my haze that something was pressed against my lips. It was strawberry flavored. With some eagerness I drank whatever it was, soothing my sore throat and feeling as my wounds started to close, bruised limbs healed and my pain lowered from feeling as though I just got hit by a run away wagon instead of being crushed by a tank. I managed to croak out, "Thank you..." as I opened my eyes, regaining more awareness of my surroundings.

With the pain receding, I managed to open my eyes to slits, breathing heavily as my wounded body began to heal. Lacerations where bullets tore through the security barding and into my hide, deep bruises and sprains from where the monster of a pony had thrown me through concrete. Before my eyes the wounds were becoming less severe. But I still looked like I had taken several knife slashes and been recently beaten by several ponies. It was an improvement though, considering the figurative shower of buckshot and a first hoof experience as being used as a sledgehammer by a monster far stronger than I had ever experienced not so long ago.

I turned my head, looking throughout the room as my wide brimmed, but white cowpony hat's brim was still in my vision, a bit dirty now from the beating I had taken, but still miraculously in one piece. I looked around for my savior but only found that I was on my back, laying over a pile of rubble with a front row view of the rain. My pipbuck was beeping, indicating that the 'Razor Hail' had stopped and wanted my confirmation. I raised a hoof and pressed it. With a groan I got up, adjusting my newly acquired hat and reaching for my bags. They were gone.

My eye's widened. Looking around again I could see that they were no where in sight, trying to leave the room indicated that the door was unlocked, but blocked with something. Though the noises did get somepony's attention, "Oh awake now are you?" A cheery voice replied before a series of sharp thuds interrupted what he had been about to say, "Got to say, Impressed your alive. Honestly didn't think that with all the holes in your body, that the potion wasn't going to work!"

The sound of an raider's battle cry rose and was cut off suddenly. I rose an eyebrow, holes? He must be talking about the ones in my hooves, and the unnatural shape of my horns. But what about-

My rescuer's voice sounded again, "You're definitely not an Alicorn variant I've seen before. Since I saved your life, can you tell your Unity," the voice scowled, to lend a hoof here in kind?"

"Unity?" I questioned quietly, confusion crossing my mind as I rolled off the dusty grim infused bedding and back onto the floor, limbs protesting but not broken, my pipbuck had a frowny face on the 'Stats' tab showing that most of my limbs were only a quarter filled. Only so much a potion could do. Drawing my rifle I reloaded it, heading towards the door, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about..." I nervously intoned, hoping that I could help, the door opened easily enough.

A blue unicorn in steel grey metal armor was the first thing she noticed, he shouted at the top of his lungs, while he swung a long blade with all the elegance of a baton while he struck into one of several raiders he had been fighting, I took aim with S.A.T.S. and fired, allowing the targeting spell to aim and fire a bullet into a raider who had been aiming a buckshot round at the armored flank.

The bullet seemed to scream out of the barrel as it flew into the raiders skull. I withdrew the precision weapon and levitated up the raiders shotgun, firing it near point blank at his buddy while the pony fought to his own valiant ends sparking sword to jagged metal axes as the raiders pressed on, heedless of the odds. I started to reload when the next wave of raiders charged inward. Bolstering their numbers, I started to fall into the habit of shooting a raider, picking up his weapon and firing that next into the next. Frequently they would jam. Though when that happened, there was more than enough to use the battered shotguns as a club.

As time went on, the room seemed to grow bloodier, raiders began to leave their marks before they died. My conservation eventually forcing me to stop using telekinesis and swap to using my handgun with my mouth. Hours seemed to roll by in the spans of minutes, My pistol clicked.

Empty. I searched for another clip, nothing. I had run out of ammo. Enough raider corpses either slashed, shot, or clubbed that it was practically chest deep in corpses. Their resolve flickering as they got the point. Their maddened giggling and war cry's dying out from the screams of their cut down friends. The stallion had his sword in the mouth, the bloody blade having long since expended it's charge. He looked up, every bit as bloody as those he had fought, a dangerous glare in his eyes that would send shivers down the overmare's spine if she saw it.

Maybe it was the amount of corpses, or the look in his eye, or the changeling who was loading her rifle. Maybe a combination thereof. But the remaining raiders, in silence, simply turned tail and ran. He kept the glare pointed at the door for a few more moments before relaxing, a serious stare forming on his face as he examined his blade, cleaning the sides and edges of it on some of the... cleaner bits of raider armor he could find before placing it into a scabbard that decorated his side. The armor however wasn't nearly as lucky. Enough shrapnel and pellets were imbedded in it to give the armor a second layer of metal. Unlike the first however, they were the opposite of protective. If anything it looked like it was about to fall apart any- oh my.

I watched as the armor's chest piece and side armoring began to slide off, the once protective plates clanking onto a raider's corpse. He shrugged, taking a potion out of a saddlebag and downing it before looking back at me, "Thanks." he stated, tossing another of the purple healing potions my way.

I gave him a nod as I caught the bottle, downing it after the stopper had been removed. Hmm... Strawberries, I loved strawberry flavor... I shook my head slightly, looking back to him. He was looking back with a curious expression at my wings as the few rounds that had managed to get past my barding began to heal. Though unlike him, I had only taken a few aimed shots. The raiders had been focusing most of their attention on the buck with the sword instead of me. He gestured to me, "Thanks for the aid." he intoned, "Though what brought you to this raider fortress?" He also gestured to my outfit, "and in Stable gear no less..."

I opened my mouth to respond, though no noise came out, It didn't even open. I broke eye contact first, redirecting my eyes to the dirty ruins of what was once a shopping mall beyond while I worked up the strength to speak, managing to work a quiet, "I'm wearing Stable barding because I come from one only a few days ago..."

His stare continued, I murmured, feeling a bit put off by his lack of response, "I'm not an Alicorn either..."

He gestured, "Kind of hard to pass that off, considering you have both wings and a horn, and that you're taller than the average pony. What does you're Unity 'goddess' say to that?" he smart mouthed.

"I don't know what Unity is..." I spoke, barely above being inaudible, "I'm just... a Changeling..."

"A Changeling?" he responded giving my an raised eyebrow, "Thought those vanished with the war almost two centuries ago."

I relaxed a bit, though it didn't keep me from having my flank pressed against the wall to give him as much distance as possible, "We were..." I paused, wondering the right wording for such a thing. How do you go about telling somepony that you were born in a tank and raised and escaped the stable after the first few months of forced military training? "It's... Complicated." I finished lamely.

His stare grew ever more curious, though he didn't push it. I mentally whispered thanks to Celestia and Luna for allowing me some time to think. Then he wiped some blood off of his hooves as he stepped around the corpses, starting to loot them of supplies, weapons, ammo, anything that he could use that wasn't foul looking meat, bloodstained spikey armor, or rotten. Wordlessly I began to help, trying not to think about the stench, all the blood, and the wrongness of the act. It didn't seem right just to loot dead ponies, but I saw the necessity of it. As we began to collect he spoke conversationally, probably to draw me out of the figurative shell I was hiding in, "So, have a name?" he asked, while he pried a saddle bag from a dead raider and went through it with a keen eye.

"E-1993-13." I responded automatically, drawing an odd look from him I explained, "Batch 1993, subject thirteen of thirty."

He rolled his eyes, "That sounds like a designation, what's your name?" he asked again.

I paused, looking at him, "What's the difference?"

He rolled his eyes, "A name is something you call a friend, someone you know a designation is a military number assigned to keep track of fielded units and officers. For example, I'm Cait Gear, though most people call me Cait."

I looked at him, considering what he said. It would be difficult to just think of a name on the spot. But my 'designation' had been the only name I knew. I considered it, most ponies had their names and it dealt with their special talent. So I began to reply, "I'll..." he looked eager to hear it, almost like a puppy, "Need sometime to think about that..." I finished, feeling a tad bit guilty at his let down expression.

He recovered quickly as we continued, a less firm, but still slightly commanding tone flowing into his voice, "Where are you heading then?"

I sighed, "Anywhere there is civilization that isn't..." I paused, trying to word it, but instead gestured to the bodies of raiders around us, "This..."

He chuckled, "Really are new to the wastelands aren't ya?" I nodded as we looted the last of the raiders, "How about this," he grinned at me, "If Scrapyard likes ya, you can come with us."

"Who's Scrapyard?" I asked, a bit cheered up at the offer, and a bit suspicious at the same time.

"Oh, an old friend of mine." he replied, kicking aside a rusty can with his hoof, "Should be along any minute now. Any other questions?"

I thought for a moment as we trotted towards the eastern exit.. What to ask first? Was there other sane ponies in the wasteland? What was he doing here? Hmm... We passed by the decapitated body of the monstrous abomination that was now missing it's head. I shivered, "Just what is that thing?"

Cait looked at me, then at what I was staring at before giving a sigh, "You know about Ghoul's?" he asked, only to be responded by my blank stare, "They're ponies who were brought back from the dead by the magical radiation after the balefire bombs fell."

"Friendly?" I asked, a half hopeful tone, though judging from the large... thing... on the floor, I probably was being a bit too optimistic.

"Somewhat." Cait nodded, before he killed that spark of hope, "Though for about every sentient ghoul, there's a hundred some odd ferals; ghouls who have lost their minds, roaming around looking for their next meal."

"So..." I began, "This is a feral?" I had to admit if there was hundreds of these, I'd probably march back to the stable and turn myself in. One was bad enough! let alone dozens at a time.

Cait chuckled, "Not even close. This," he gestured with his head back to the decapitated corpse, "Is a Ghoul who has undergone massive amounts of radiation while under the affect of a mixture of chemicals. Supposedly, somepony called Doc Smile came out with it and now makes the chems for various ghouls in return for their loyalty."

Okay, not as bad as I had thought, but still terrifying prospect, I prodded further, "Why does Doc Smile need giant Ghoul's anyway?"

Cait shrugged, "No idea to be honest, Security? Some long lost treasure in an irradiated military base? Maybe just for fame. In any case, no one wants to go within a mile of a guy who has super strong, quick, and regenerating undead ponies for protection."

I gave a quick bob with my head, agreeing to the statement, "Any weaknesses?"

Cait stopped for a moment, considering it, "Well they can't swim, too heavy after their augmentations, though the radiation in the water doesn't help you either. Fire hampers their regeneration, though that's from the constant burning and cauterizing I think. Though to kill one..." he pulled his blade partially out, to show it, before letting it slide back into it's sheath, "Beheading it usually brings one down, enough ordinance as well. Though they are rather resistant to damage as you noticed. I suppose a flier could get away from an earth ghoul, though the prospect of a Pegasus or unicorn one is a terrifying prospect."

I shivered, he chuckled again, "All the more fun. People call them Brutes, and the feral versions Beasts."

"Wonderful..." I sighed, "Any other giant things I need to worry about?"

"Hmm... Vanhoover specifically or elsewhere? All the cities have their own little problems, Hell Hounds near Fillydephia, Enervation fields in Hoofington, Mutant Alicorns and Unity all over the place. Oh, lets not forget Taint near Manehatten, or the Pink cloud that still covers Canterlot." he ranted off one after the other, each one sounding worse than the next.

Wow, so much to learn, I made a note to ask somepony about them later, "What about Vanhoover?"

He smiled cheerfully, "Brutes, Beasts, Aqualights, as well as the several factions around the place." he skipped moving into a singsong voice, "Welcome, to the wesssstttt side of wasteland!" he followed up with an extremely cheerful series of whistles before stating normally, "and before you ask, no, Aqua isn't water or light, it's just..." he managed a shrug, "Well you'll know it when you see it."

I was about to ask him another question, but the sound of something running caught my ears and I turned around before a mass of grey fur tackled me onto my back, crushing the air out of my lungs. The first thing I noticed as I gasped for breath was a familiar set of startling blue eyes that was framed by long straw like fur. The wolf's muzzle was surprisingly bloody though not from injury, I suspected, but rather from combat. The fur stretched in jagged lines, Fur a solid wash of grey, darkening around the better muscled sections of his legs and feet. Adorning him was a simple rig of light weight sheets of metal that covered the bare minimum for armor. Full of holes, sure, but it allowed maximum flexibility and speed that the light armor could provide. All of this was ignored as my gaze dropped to those well kept canine teeth of his. I fought the urge to whimper, instead trying to say something intelligent.

"Nice... Doggie?" I mentally slapped myself.

"Whatcha think of her Scrappy?" Cait spoke to the very terrifying looking wolf whose razor sharp and slightly bloody looking fangs were inches from my face.

Scrappy slowly tilted his head, almost as if he was considering something. Then he stuck his tongue out, no longer bearing his fangs at me. He went from terrifying-evil-demon-wolf to playful-cute-puppy in mere moments, before he gave me a surprisingly wet lick, leaving my face covered in a large amount of his saliva. My right eye twitched as the tongue passed over the left side of my face, forcing an eye shut.

Cait chuckled again, "Aw, looks like he likes you."

Scrapyard jumped off me, bounding around in a tight circle to Cait's side. A tentative lick to his master got Cait to smile wider and ruffle his friend's fur, drawing a nuzzle from Scrapyard. I, in contrast, took my time to get up, How could something look so deadly one second but cute the next? Let alone while his mouth was covered in blood?! I wiped the thick layer of Salvia off my face with the sleeve of my hoof. I looked down as he smiled towards me, he was emitting a cheerful attitude strong enough to infect everything in the room. I couldn't help but smile softly as well as my magic slowly replenished just by being near the cheerful stallion.

"Time to go." Cait called, and off we went.

Footnote: Companions gained, 25% left until you level up.

Cait Gear: Companion Perk: Attention Horse: This companion draws 20% more aggression in a fight, useful for when you don't want to be the target of every attack! As a result this companion's also has a 20% increased damage threshold for the first ten seconds he joins a fight. This perk is active as long as Cait Gear is in your party.

Scrapyard: Companion perk: Dog-gone-it: You find less caps in containers but instead find better items more frequently. This perk is active as long as this party member is in your party.

Next Chapter: chapter 6: Jobs Of The Wastelands Estimated time remaining: 15 Hours, 10 Minutes