Celestia awoke with a groan as she tried to lift herself from the dirt. When she moved, however, she noticed the mass that was now somewhat holding her down. She looked to her torso and gasped. Apparently, the blast was from some kind of teleportation spell gone wrong by one of her Ponies, evident by the blue Unicorn now lying on top of her.

She struggled to move the Stallion without waking him, and as she did, she noticed how odd this Pony was. His blue coat was scarred in some spots of his face, and his brown mane was tangled and somewhat wild. He wore a strange blue jacket that matched his coat with the numbers "101" plastered across the back in yellow, along with a Stetson that had seen its share of time weathering. His saddle bags were strangely shaped, and clunked with a metallic tone as they moved, some deep and some light. There were odd things that hung off of his form, as well. The first she noticed was that on his back, as well, was a massive tube-like object that was filled with lightning. Another was small and mostly wooden with a metal tube going through most of it. The last two were on a strange cloth that went around his flanks, one with a small telescope, and the other box-like in design. The final note she made about the Stallion was his Cutie Mark, which was simply an atom being split.

Then there was barking and a low growl.

Before Celestia was a rather large dog, with light brown and black fur. Its ears were at its sides as the dog bared its teeth at her, warning her. Threatening her. With one last effort, the Stallion slid off of her, and the dog charged ahead, coming up to protect the Unicorn from her. She put the pieces together and figured out that this was its master.

Then, a groan from the unicorn.

The dog sharply turned around and started whimpering at its master, completely changing its own outlook in a second. If there were any predators nearby, they would likely take this as a sign of either massive weakness, or that whatever it was cowering to was dangerous.

With one last shake of his head, the unicorn began to open his eyes.

\\\\\\//////

"Uuuugghhh..." Jason groaned as he felt himself roll.

Before he could make a witty comment, however, he heard a familiar whimpering.

With a massive strain, Jason managed to open his eyes, proving that once again, Death was his bitch. In front of him, was his faithful companion. When the dog saw his master finally awaken, he began to happily bark and wag his tail. Jason grinned at him before responding.

"Good boy, Dogmeat." He managed.

Jason tried to reach out to pet Dogmeat, but before he even came close, he looked down at his appendage and noticed something completely off.

His hand was gone, replaced by a stump.

A stump that was blue.

He stared at the rounded end of his arm with more intrigue than anything else, really, watching as it turned without any pain present. Besides the one from being thrown at/through something, since everything was sore, but not weak. Evidence that this was not Radiation poisoning that he was seeing. He knew what it felt like to be poisoned to death, considering Project Purity as his first Death. Then he died again back at the Enclave Lab, busting up some kind of teleporter. Now here he was, alive, again, but with new features.

With a turn, he examined the rest of himself, and found that he was now dealing with several things. First off, he wasn't wearing pants. Second, he still had all of his stuff, bags and even the Vault 101 Suit, except it was now a jacket. Third, he was now an equal blue as the Suit. Fourth, he had a tail. Fifth, everything was colorful. Sixth, he had a tail. Seventh, he now had four legs and no arms. Eighth, he had a tail. Ninth, he had a horn. Tenth, Dogmeat was with him, too. And finally, he had a tail.

Jason stared at the new addition with interest as it swished about behind him, feeling everything it touched. It felt... odd. Not bad, but not that good either. It meant that he would have an all-new way to think with his tactics and balance, yes, but now he had a weird feeling above his ass 24/7. Either way, it was new, to say the least. He continued to examine his new form with caution before finding his Pip-Boy 3000 still intact. With a thought, he brought it up to the Stat-Screen, and examined his radiation level. His Geiger Counter was broken and pointing in the red with an almost inaudible whine. It clocked in at over 2,856 Rads. Once again, he should be dead. He chuckled at the prospect before Dogmeat peaked at the screen and whimpered.

"Don't worry, buddy," Jason comforted, stroking a round end across the dog's coat, "I've died enough times. You know I won't stay down long."

\\\\\\//////

Celestia stared at the unicorn with disbelief as he spoke to the dog, named Dogmeat, apparently. He just mentioned being dead. Multiple times, he implied. And yet, he just laughed at it. As if Death was nothing more than a cruel joke to him. To say that she was stunned was an understatement. One that had no analogy for. In order to break the tension, or some of it, at least, Celestia cleared her throat to gain the attention of the Pony.

\\\\\\//////

Jason looked around for a bit after hearing what sounded like a throat being cleared, and gazed upon something truly new to him. In the Wasteland, he met all sorts of strange creatures, but this one was by far the most out-there. It looked like a Brahmin, except with only one head. It also had the whitest fur coat to ever be seen in about 200 years. So pure that it was almost blinding, even in the darkness of night. It had a massive horn and wings as well, draped across its massive torso. On its flank was a picture of the Sun, for some reason. Finally, the hair. It flowed. There wasn't any wind to be felt for miles, but it flowed. As it flowed, it looked like a rainbow, like Jason had seen in the Vault books back in 101.

As he stared at it, it began to talk with the most angelic, soothing, motherly voice he had ever heard.

"Are you alright, my little Pony?"

Jason then assumed it to be a "her," because there is no way in Hell could something with a voice like that would be male. Unless it's like that weird shit with the aliens over D.C. That point being made, Jason knew that something may very well go awry. He stood up on all fours, trying his balance in the new form before lightly coughing while cracking his joints into place, along with a roll of his head, eliciting more pops.

"I-I'm fine, thanks." Jason managed. "Can I... ask you something?"

She smiled warmly at him before responding.

"Of course, my subject."

Jason frowned at this and reached to adjust his hat, pushing it down onto his head firmly.

"Alright, listen. I'm going to just ask some questions, not become part of some weird cult, alright? I'm not anyone's subject, and I never will be."

Her expression changed dramatically as she went into thought.

\\\\\\//////

'Did he just tell me off?' Celestia thought to herself, examining the situation at hoof.

The Stallion just told her that he "wasn't anyone's subject," and that he refuses to be one. This was not only shocking to hear from somepony in a crowd, but from somepony that was looking her in the eyes? She was absolutely baffled. As she pondered on this, she began to look into the Stallion's eyes, trying to figure out what she was dealing with here. A window to the soul, they truly were.

Only now, however, does she realize that some windows were meant to be kept closed.

She saw pain. More pain than anypony she had ever seen endure. More pain than any War Equestria had ever been through. She swore that she felt herself being harmed in some way just watching it all pass underneath the brown orbs. There was also sadness. Enough to remind her of when she banished her sister, so many years ago. It nearly drove her to tears. The rage. Pure hatred that she felt not even Tirek would deserve.

Though, with all of these dark things looming out from his soul, she found something truly good about the Stallion in his eyes. Authority. He radiated a presence that spoke to her on so many levels, one being that if he was going anywhere, he meant business. Righteousness. She felt it earlier, looking at his Cutie Mark, but now she felt an overpowering sense of just filling her soul as she stared into his vast sea of might. And finally, in the back, just a small glimmer, was hope. In that glimmer, however, was enough hope to remind her of why she kept going through mundane tasks like paperwork, dealing with Nobles, and working hard to ensure peace and harmony. It was the kind of hope that no matter how small it was, it was that one ounce that pushed one past their limits. And it looked as though this speck of hope had done that plenty of times before, and would keep going for years to come.

As she stared, she saw the corners of his face move, as if he were speaking to her.

Celestia shook her head to snap herself out of his somehow captivating stare, and brought herself back to reality.

\\\\\\//////

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" She asked.

"I asked you your name."

Jason watched as the white being in front of him stumbled around on her legs for a bit before responding with a smile.

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Princess Celestia."

"Alright then, Princess. Call me the Wanderer."

She shot up a puzzling eyebrow, along with a questioning grin. Jason felt it odd how Human these faces were with... whatever he was now.

"That sounds more like a title. Don't you have a name?"

"Names are for friends or anyone trustworthy."

"And you do not trust me?"

"No offense, but I just met you. I have no idea where I am, how I got here, or even what I'm supposed to be. So yeah, I'm a little slow to trust right now."

\\\\\\//////

Celestia shot a more questioning look as she lowered her grin.

'What?' She thought.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm clearly not from here, right?"

Celestia once again examined his fashions and strange accessories before slowly shaking her head.

"Um... no, no you don't look like you're from here."

"Because I'm not." He deadpanned. "Last thing I remember is that I was about to be fried before being thrown into this world. Last time I checked, also, I wasn't... whatever you are. Pony, right?"

"Yes. You are indeed a Pony. Now, of course. I'm sorry, how did you get here?"

\\\\\\//////

Jason sighed as he recalled getting to this strange place.

"Last thing I remember, there were these people trying to use an experimental teleporter, and ended up abusing the device to the point where if it worked, it would have killed everything in a 50 kilometer radius. I had no other option than to seal myself inside of its chamber and disconnect it from its power sources before anyone else besides me had to die."

Celestia seemed to gasp a bit before smiling at him, again.

"That sounds very noble of you, Wanderer."

Jason chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, wouldn't be the first time I died, either."

Celestia shot him a curious look again.

"I heard you mention that earlier. How exactly do you mean that you died already? Do you use some kind of magic?"

Jason had to keep from laughing too hard, but ended up just smiling like an idiot.

"No, we don't believe in magic where I come from. That's all rainbows and Unicorns and-" Jason rechecked the situation he was in and proceeded to laugh very lightly to himself. "I-I'm sorry, it's just... this is too funny. So, anyways, the place I come from, it's literally a wasteland. That's half the name, right there. The "Capital Wasteland," we called it. You see, life there is a struggle, from day-to,day, no matter who you are, or where you are. One of the biggest problems just surviving was water. Everywhere you go, puddles, rivers, lakes, all of it's contaminated by radiation. You drink enough to keep yourself alive, then the radiation's gonna melt you from the inside. My dad worked as a scientist, trying to find a way to bring clean, fresh water back to the Wasteland, thinking that he could make life so much easier. He died for his work, but, in the end, so did I. When I activated the main purifier, radiation overloaded the main control center, flooding me with the toxic shit. I pretty much died for the same reason my father did, and in the same way. I thought that those were my final moments, but apparently, I couldn't die yet. Woke up two weeks later feeling fresh as ever."

\\\\\\//////

Celestia was trying to understand the intensity of the situation that this Stallion was put through. Life being an every day struggle. Living in a literal Wasteland. Loosing his father to such a cause. Not being able to drink without the constant threat of Death. That he thought he had died for a noble cause, only to be brought back. She was nearly in tears, thinking of how well her Ponies had it in Equestria compared to him. By the way he made it sound, her Ponies wouldn't last a day.

"Wow." Was all she could muster at that moment. "I... don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything that doesn't need to be said."

"I wish I could help in some way."

"Don't bother. I've helped drive out most of the baddies, and left the rest to the Brotherhood of Steel. They're focused enough to realize that the people are what's important. Besides," He started, raising his left foreleg to his face, "if my Geiger Counter's right, then any kind of magic would kill them all."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's given me enough radiation to put down Deathclaw, and yes they are as hard to kill as it sounds."

Now Celestia was in even more shock. The magic that everypony relied on, what kept them all alive, was the very substance that threatened the Wanderer's home? How could she even imagine something like that? Something that's so vital to the life of everypony around her, on all of Equis, and yet is so deadly and terrifying to another world?

'And really, Deathclaws? I thought the Everfree had scary monsters. She thought to herself.

"So, where am I now?"

Celestia cleared her thoughts as she looked up to the Pony in question.

"Oh, uh, you're in the Everfree Forest. One of the most dangerous places in Equestria."

"I see." He said, gazing around them. "What about this place?"

"That's a very old castle that I used to rule with my sister. It's well over a thousand years old now."

The Stallion's head shot back at her with a stunned look.

"A thousand years? You're that old?"

"Why, yes, actually. I'm well over that."

The Wanderer looked up and down Celestia with his lips in an "O" shape as his head occasionally moved sideways.

"Wow." He stated, pulling his head back into its original position. "You don't look bad at all for that age. I mean, everything in the Wasteland's over 200, and it all looks like crap."

Celestia turned her head to smirk at him.

"Well, thank you. I must say, however, I wish to apologize for your fate."

"Why? I'm still not dead yet. Unless you plan on changing that."

Celestia stumbled back a bit as the Stallion hardened his gaze.

"W-what!? No! I-I would never! I just mean, not being in your world, and all."

"Please, I wasn't expecting to come back alive from that mission, anyways. Hell, I planned on dying more than five months ago, and I'm still here."

"Well, if you want to go somewhere safe, I can take you to-"

"Sorry, but no." The Wanderer interrupted.

Celestia looked at the stallion, confused by his words.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm called the Wanderer for a reason. I don't mind the fact that I'm stuck now, I've accepted that. But I'm afraid that I still don't have any reason to just let you take me anywhere I can't see yet. I'd like a chance to... put this body through the works, now that I'm here."

"But... you could get hurt. Or worse!"

The Wanderer chuckled a bit.

"Celestia, I don't mind if you actually care about my life, but this is something I do. It's my title. It's my reason. If I can't wander, I might as well just lay down and die. Give up."

At that, Celestia understood this Stallion.

He didn't need to search for his purpose. He wasn't trying to run from her or anything else, for that matter. She saw in his gaze that this was what he knew. She saw more than that, however. This was what he was, truly. She saw that as part of his very soul, and that he meant with every word that he did indeed mean nothing else. More than that, she saw somepony- no. Someone, that wanted to be left to their own devices. To be left with their destiny. Just as her student did. Just as all Ponies do. He meant to wander, and she saw his intent. She felt the righteousness from before pour out from his soul at the mention of the word, and how his life depended on the act. She smiled warmly as she returned to the conversation.

"I understand. But, if I were to recommend a direction?"

The Wanderer nodded. "Yes?"

"I would go along that path, there." She offered, pointing her hoof in the direction of the only path in the Forest.

"What's down that path?" He asked.

"A new beginning." She smiled. "I noticed that you're a Unicorn. Therefore, you need some help learning to use your magic. I believe it would make life quite easier for you, knowing how to levitate objects."

As if on cue, the large tube-like object fell off of his back and smacked into the grass audibly. The Princess and the Wanderer stared at each other before exchanging a laugh at the moment. The Wanderer looked between the object, his bags, and his hooves before smiling sheepishly at the Princess.

"Umm... I don't suppose you could... help? I would rather these all be in my bags for now."

Celestia grasped the object with her magic and lifted it towards the Wanderer's saddle bags, which she then opened up and carefully placed inside.

"Would you like help with the other things?"

"Uh, just the long one on my back, thanks."

As Celestia levitated the objects, she began to speak.

"So, what are these?"

"They're... tools. I use them in my travels."

"Oh, really? What do they do?"

The Wanderer grimaced as she locked his saddle bags with the objects inside.

"I'd... rather not say, sorry. Just know that I mean no harm with any of them."

Celestia smiled once more at him before returning to the conversation prior.

"Good to know. As I was saying, in that direction is Ponyville. There, you will find a large tree-like Crystal Castle, which now houses my previous student, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I have no doubt in my mind that she would love to help you adjust to our customs. Not only that, but she's quite gifted with magic, and would be more than willing to teach it to anypony that asks."

The Wanderer tipped his hat.

"Thank you, kindly, ma'am."

Celestia bowed her head before returning a farewell.

"Of course. Oh, also, if you take the train there up North, then you can find a large mountain city, Canterlot. My castle lies in the center, and if you mention yourself and how you know me to the Guards, they might let you inside if you ever wish to talk to me. If you can't reach Canterlot, then speak to Twilight. She can get a message directly to me at any time. Goodbye, Wanderer."

The Wanderer turned around towards the path before stopping in his tracks. He leaned over to her and spoke.

"Jason."

Celestia's ears perked towards him as she lowered her head.

"What?"

"Jason. That's my name." He added with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some wandering to do. Dogmeat! Here boy!" He called.

Dogmeat, sure enough, came running back to his master's side, almost three-fourths of his height side-by-side. The two continued off into the thick brush of the Everfree as Celestia stared with a smile.

He trusted her now. He felt that she had the privilege to know his name. To know the name of the Wanderer. She turned back and smiled deeply, knowing how right he seemed. That he would wander with a pure heart and just intent, across Equestria, as he did with his home. The bad things she saw, now, were what he had to deal with, but was relieved that before he would die, he would know at least the comfort of her land. And that she could bring that to at least one soul of the Wasteland. She also held a blush, reflecting on how casual he was with her. There were Ponies that grovelled at her hooves as though she were a truly all-mighty being, even once having to deal with a church based around her. Yet he had acted as though she were somepony like everypony else. Somepony that saw her as not just some royal figure to bow towards. It was an attitude that she hadn't seen in centuries, and it felt good to be casual.

\\\\\\//////

Jason waited as he heard a strange pop, followed by a small flash behind him. With a quick look back, he saw that Celestia was gone.

He looked to his right and saw that Dogmeat was now standing at nearly eye-level with him. Jason merely smirked at the dog before reaching his left arm... foreleg, up. He focused on the small knobs for a bit, trying to force them to move by mind. In a few seconds, one of the dials lit up with a faint brown glow and clicked it to the side, causing the radio to come on, replaying an old song.

Once more, Jason looked out towards the expanse of trees, with Dogmeat at his side, a song in his Pip-Boy, and new-found reason and hope, he began his new life with one step.

"Equestria," He spoke to no-one in particular, "prepared to be wandered."