Jason nodded along as he followed what Star Buck was lecturing, absorbed into the history lesson like he was back in the Vault classroom.

“… and that’s how Princess Luna returned to Equestria,” Star Buck finished.

The Wanderer was absolutely shocked by how this world’s powers worked.

An Alicorn, who could move the Moon with her mind, turned evil because no one respected her position or her various responsibilities. Then, her sister, whom Jason had already met, and was also apparently responsible for moving the entire fucking Sun, banished her younger sister to the surface of the moon for a thousand years.

Cut to a thousand years later, which was about two years before Jason arrived, this, Nightmare Moon, returned with a vengeance, banished her older sister to the Sun, because magic, and tried to bring about eternal night for the whole planet.

Besides being impossible in thousands of ways scientifically, it would have been counter productive to the Nightmare’s goals, considering that if you remove the Sun from the world, all plant life will die off, meaning no food or air within months, effectively killing everyone.

Moving past the ridiculous assertion that this would have worked even for a fraction of a second in any way, how the problem was solved was what made Jason’s brain beg for the sweet morphine for the mind that was alcohol.

Apparently, the three ponies that Jason had met recently, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity, along with three others, reignited a lost ancient artifact that was used to banish Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago, the Elements of Harmony. The six mares, written in the books and reported true by everyone involved in it, ‘used the power of friendship to free Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon and fix everything that she had done’.

“…” Jason was speechless for a solid minute.

Star Buck noticed this and raised an eyebrow curiously as she tried to get his attention.

“Wanderer?” she called to him.

Though Jason was sitting not two feet away from the Thestral, he seemed to have not heard her at all.

Star Buck waved her hoof past his eyes and was rewarded with no reaction whatsoever.

“Anypony home?” she asked, beginning to worry.

Jason could barely hear her as he broke inside.

“Wanderer, you’re starting to freak me out.”

The Wanderer blinked a few times before shaking his head.

“I… I’m sorry, I think my mind broke for a second,” he said flatly.

“Oh… kay? Um… w-why?”

“It’s… uh… a long story,” Jason sighed as he brought his hoof up to his forehead.

“Alright… well, that’s just an average day here in Ponyville,” she added.

“… what the fuck did I get into?” Jason asked himself.

“Yeah, I know. One day, we’re just minding our own business, watching the forest line in the distance, then BAM!” Star emphasized by slamming her hoof onto the table between them, “Parasprites eat your entire collection of old bits!”

Jason shook his head as he began to mentally steel himself for whatever might come his way.

“What about you?” Star asked.

Jason looked up at Star and blinked.

“What?”

“I mean… you told us that you came from a wasteland, right? What was it like?”

Jason sighed as he cracked his neck.

“I guess it’s fair I repay you with a history lesson,” Jason stated.

Suddenly, the doors to the lounge opened and in walked something that neither of them wanted to see.

It was another pony in a duster similar to the pegasus that harassed Jason earlier.

'How in the fuck do these ponies find me? Do I have some kind of tracking device planted on me when I was unconscious?' Jason asked himself.

This one, however, was a tall and thin unicorn with a slightly longer horn than Jason's own. He had light blue fur and a silver-colored mane and tail. His eyes were an icy blue, and he smiled upon seeing the Wanderer.

"So, I assume you're the one called 'The Wanderer'?" he asked in a rather surprisingly up-beat tone.

"Yes. Why?"

"I'd just like to apologize for my brother's actions earlier. You know, the pegasus built like a brick shit-house? I heard that he may not have left the welcoming message we were trying to get across."

Jason and Star glanced at each other before Jason sighed.

"Look, my mind is... somewhere between half-asleep and on a gallon of Jet right now," Jason sighed as he rubbed a hoof along his snout. "Can this wait until I've properly adjusted to this town for at least five seconds?"

"Oh, don't be such a bitch about it," the stallion remarked. "I just came to apologize for my brother's behavior, and welcome you to the Regulators. I assume you've heard everything you needed to know about us before Brick left, right?"

"No, he just threw around insults before he left. What exactly should I know?"

"Well, to make a long story slightly less long, we're tasked with watching over two things. The first being the Everfree Forest, which constantly spews out uncaring atrocities at us, practically at a bi-weekly basis."

'So same thing I've been doing for years now? Perfect,' Jason sighed as he thought to himself.

"And the second, well, you should know that by now. We target terror threats to Equestria, like slave drivers or illegal trading rings. Didn't expect to see the former so close to Canterlot, though. We're thinking they're either desperate enough to do something so extreme to turn any kind of profit, or somepony else is using them as a distraction."

Jason pondered his findings in the caves as Star Buck nodded.

"Well, we'll keep our eyes and ears open," she responded. "Anything else you'd like to share?"

"Just a few things," he said, igniting his horn.

Wrapped in a blue aura that matched his eyes, a small, flat box wrapped in brown paper floated up to Jason.

"This is a list of nearby Regulators and a map of recent criminal activity in the surrounding areas. There's also a paper with a list of rules, written by our founding members, and a manual that lists every know plant and animal in the Everfree. Some crazy things from there only have a few select weaknesses, but they usually don't come out this far from the forest."

Jason nodded as he grasped the package in his own magic.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Oh, and by the way, name's Spice."

With that, the unicorn turned and walked out of the lounge, leaving the mare and stallion alone to look at the package.

"Sorry, Star, but I should go read this to figure out what I got myself into," Jason apologized as he stood from his seat.

"It's fine. I should probably check in with the rest of the gang, make sure the Guards on overtime keep us posted on what's up. See ya later."

With that, they both left the Guard station and went their separate ways.

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

Scootaloo ran her hoof across the back of her neck as she stood atop her scooter outside Sugarcube Corner. She had a small sack of bits at her side, ready to be exchanged for something delicious and, hopefully, freshly baked. Just as she was about to remove her helmet, she heard somepony familiar call her name.

“Scootaloo!”

The filly turned around to see both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle galloping towards her. She smiled to them and waved.

“Hey girls!” she replied.

“We’re about to go to Twilight’s Castle for some Twilight Time!” Sweetie Belle said happily.

The pegasus was glad to see that her friend was so close to being back to her normal self, thankful that they were all still together.

“Sounds great! Anything different planned for today?” Scootaloo asked.

“Actually, there’s somep-one, that I’d like ya’ll to meet. I met him in the Everfree, along with Zecora’s brother.”

“Zecora has a brother?” both Sweetie and Scootaloo questioned.

“Uh-huh, but he’s staying in Zecora’s hut while she’s out.”

“So what about his new guy? Is he another Zebra?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, uh… no, he’s not actually a pony either. He’s… actually, kinda scary when ya first meet him, but he’s really nice! He’s kinda like what that Iron-something fella, but if he had Twilight’s mind, and, uh…”

Apple Bloom’s description fell short as she tried to explain the nature of Fawkes to her friends.

“Y-ya just gotta see him for yerselves!” Apple Bloom resigned.

The other two Crusaders shrugged at each other, willing to accept Apple Bloom’s word.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Apple Bloom started.

“Yes?” they both responded.

“Sweetie Belle, just relax when you see him, alright? He’s really nice and friendly,” she pleaded.

“Don’t worry, Rarity’s been helping me calm down after…” Sweetie Belle shook her head free of the thoughts of that horrible day. “I’m fine, really. Let’s just go have fun.”

Apple Bloom nodded and together, the Crusaders went off to Twilight’s Castle.

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

Fluttershy strained her hoof against the water valve, making sure that the water flowing to the hose was stopped entirely before she sighed in relief.

She turned around to see that the new canine, Dogmeat, was beginning to drink from the outdoor washing tub she had just finished filling up.

“Oh, Dogmeat,” she pleaded, moving up to the animal, “you shouldn’t drink so much. You’ll get nauseous,” she warned.

The canine looked up to the mare and gave a whine.

"<Thirsty>"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have gotten you something. Why don't we get you clean, and then I'll fix something up for you?"

"<Yes>!" Dogmeat barked.

"Good. Now, just hop in," she persuaded.

The canine hesitantly stepped up the side of the bucket and dived in, splashing some of the liquid out of the bath before shaking himself and going from paw to paw, trying to adjust to the cold water. As he did, Fluttershy pulled out a bucket of cleaning substances that she kept near the bathing bucket for just such an occasion. She pulled a bottle of soap from it and applied a generous amount to a grooming comb and brought it to Dogmeat's fur.

Dogmeat whimpered at the contact, unfamiliar with the tool she was using as well as the questionably smelly substance being applied to his fur. He felt the spikes drive into his thick, mud and blood matted fur as it parted hairs and dragged the filth out of his fur.

"<Feels amazing>" Dogmeat whimpered as he shivered under the caress of the brush.

"Oh my, I don't think I've seen a dog with so much grime in their fur," Fluttershy commented.

As she continued to scrub the canine's back, she noticed the water already staining a murky brown tinted with red.

"Dogmeat, are you bleeding?" Fluttershy asked, fearing she was being to rough with her scrubbing.

"<Not my blood>" Dogmeat barked.

Fluttershy nodded solemnly, thinking of what this dog had to have done to survive. The air became filled with the steady laps of Fluttershy's scrubbing and the sound of Dogmeat's leg tapping the bucket in delight. As the dog's fur began to finally lose its volume of dirt and blood, the pegasus applied more soap to Dogmeat's neck before scrubbing again. This time, however, the dog growled and craned his head back to look at the mare as he grumbled to her.

"<What is smelling>?" the canine asked.

"Oh, it's just some soap. It's specially formulated to keep away ticks and heart-worms," Fluttershy answered.

Dogmeat tilted his head.

"<Heart-worms? Ticks?>" he asked.

"You don't know about heart-worms? How does your friend keep you healthy?" she retorted.

"<He kills what I can't>" Dogmeat answered.

Fluttershy's eyes widened at the answer.

"W-what?" she managed to whisper.

"<Wasteland is dangerous>. <Just like dad said>. <Kill or die>" Dogmeat explained via growls, barks, and whimpers.

Fluttershy pondered this 'Wasteland' that Dogmeat was referring to. It must be just as bad, or horrifyingly enough, worse than, the Everfree Forest.

"That sounds awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that," Fluttershy cooed, brushing through Dogmeat's flanks.

"<We live today>. <All that matters>" Dogmeat commented.

"You two must be such close friends. How long have you known him?"

"<Two years>" Dogmeat answered.

"Were you alone before then?" Fluttershy asked.

Instead of responding, Dogmeat lowered his head and whimpered quietly.

"<For a while>. <Bandits killed first friend>. <Stayed with him before he found me>."

They remained quiet for the remainder of Dogmeat's bath. Fluttershy had to be cautious around Dogmeat's underside, seeing a few scars from what she recognized as burns. They were in a horrifying abundance on the canine's barrel, the fur thinning around them. She gently rubbed the soap with her own hoof around the burns while lightly going through the fur with the brush.

After a few more minutes of scrubbing, Fluttershy went and got her hose again and set it to a slow and steady flow of water before rinsing Dogmeat with it. When she was done, she smiled and nodded at the canine, letting him know that he could get out of the tub of filthy water.

Without hesitation, Dogmeat shot out of the large bucket and shook himself off, sending water off in all directions. The canine was noticeably cleaner in appearance. His fur had much nicer shades of black and brown, the tufts of fur mixed with mud and gore no longer sticking above the rest of his coat.

As he began to run around and exercise his legs, Fluttershy checked the water to see how much she had gotten out of Dogmeat's fur. She gasped when she saw the water was colored a sickening mixture of brown and faded red. The pegasus tipped the bucket over and let the water flow down into one of the lower troughs by her home, watching as the dirt began to soak up the filthy liquid.

She turned to say something to Dogmeat, but paused when she saw that the canine was nowhere in sight. She looked around to see that Dogmeat was already running straight to Ponyville.

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

"Ah... the regal words, of times... not so forgotten... how I missed this," Fawkes sighed as he held the book close to his face, taking shaky breaths as he inhaled the scent of the pages.

Twilight watched intently as Fawkes continued to take his time with each book he was reading. Surprisingly, he was an incredibly fast reader, having gone through three already. But to say that he merely read them was an insult. He took his time carefully turning page to page, admiring the smooth textures of the paper and cover as it shifted in his grasp. He even took in deep breaths to relish the smell of the printed word, as he described it to be one of the few anchors he had left to his sanity.

Twilight was truly at a loss for how to describe this Meta Human who she had already considered a friend.

She remembered how the scent and textures of a new, freshly printed book brought her unbridled joy as a filly. She remembered how she would stay up late at night, the purple glow of her horn illuminating her greatest treasure: knowledge. It was the foundation of her life now. Everything around her, the castle, the library, her friends and understanding of friendship's true power, all stemming from her passion for the written word and the power a book could hold, from anywhere between a simple thought on remembering a moment, to the untold power of magic itself.

However, she never would have thought of them as the only way to keep oneself truly alive.

To see his rotting flesh, his decaying outfit, the rusted items he kept with him, and to hear the struggle within his words to describe his past... never would she have thought of these books acting as the one thing that kept him alive. He explained that even though he would physically be "alive" his mind would have been lost and fragmented, only leaving rage and hatred where his consciousness would have resided. To know that what he was holding now, flipping through and absorbing the words like the last drops of rain from a desert cloud, was one of the few things keeping him from fading away into a beast...

She was more determined to save Fawkes than ever before.

A series of knocks came from the door to the library. Twilight got up from her seat and went to open the door.

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

Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle before she started conversing with the white filly.

"So, I know you've had a rough couple of days," she started, "but trust me, Fawkes is really nice when ya get to know him."

"It's alright, Apple Bloom," Sweetie said with a tired smile, "I'll be alright."

"So, is it true about what you said about him?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah. He's got yellow-green skin, really tall, and big muscles. Are ya sure you're alright, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle nodded weakly.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Those..." she shivered, "Diamond Dogs... weren't that bad, really... I... I-I..." Sweetie Belle rambled before stifling a yawn. "I'll be fine. Pinkie Promise."

Before either of the other Crusaders could say anything about Sweetie's health, the door opened to reveal Twilight.

"Oh, hi girls," she greeted. "Sweetie Belle, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright, tha-" she yawned softly, "thanks, Twilight."

"Apple Bloom told us about a super cool Metal-Hu-mane thing!" Scootaloo buzzed.

"I said 'Meta Human,' Scoots," Apple Bloom corrected.

"Whatever. Is he real? Is he in there?" Scootaloo pressed on.

Twilight looked back for a few seconds, her expression portraying a sense of deep thought before she smiled warmly and nodded.

"Yes. But please, try your best to not disturb him."

"Don't worry, we'll be quiet," Apple Bloom responded.

Twilight opened the door wide enough for all three fillies to walk in, and then watched as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo froze. She didn't have to guess where they were looking to know that they were enraptured by Fawkes' alien exterior. Scootaloo beamed brightly as she zipped past Twilight to examine the Meta Human from different angles, while Sweetie Belle approached far more cautiously. Twilight noticed Sweetie's hesitant approach and spoke to her.

"Does Rarity know you're out?"

Sweetie Belle nodded.

"Good. But for now, let's let things settle for a bit before we tell her about Fawkes, alright?"

Again, Sweetie nodded.

Twilight turned to go back to search through the Psychology tomes she had piled up when she noticed Scootaloo standing on the table beside Fawkes' book.

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

Fawkes looked away from the book and gazed upon another small pony. This one was orange with a purple mane and tail, and had a pair of small wings. As he inspected the appendages, he began running numbers in his head about how much they'd have to grow before being able to lift something as big as the pony. He then began to factor in internal components he wouldn't normally think of, such as hollow bone structures or possibly an organ that stores gasses and expands to assist with lifting the pony off the ground, or maybe-

His thoughts ceased when the filly looked him in the eye.

"Hey, what's up?" she greeted in a scratchy voice. "I'm Scootaloo! Apple Bloom's told us about you, Fawkes! You look way cooler up close, though."

All rational thought slowed to a halt as Fawkes tried to process this encounter.

"Scoots!" Apple Bloomed called out, climbing onto the table. "Twilight told us to not interrupt his reading!"

"Oh, come on, what's wrong with saying 'hi'?"

The following conversation was lost to Fawkes' ears as he thought deeply.

'She doesn't fear me... these little ponies don't fear me... No screams, no threats... no killing... have I found...'

Fawkes' gaze was drawn to a white object's motion in his peripheral vision. He saw another small, white pony with a curly mane and tail, colored two shades of purple, and dull green eyes. She stopped moving and looked up at Fawkes, craning her neck to look up to the behemoth of a being. The Meta Human closed his book and slowly extended a hand to the filly. She backed away suddenly, prompting Fawkes to retract his hand slightly before extending it slower than before.

The filly seemed to relax under his watch, and began to inch towards his hand. When she was close enough, the filly cautiously placed a hoof in Fawkes' hand, and he gently grasped her and shook it barely at all.

"Greetings," he managed to growl as softly as he could.

"H-hello," she responded.

"Oh, hey Sweetie Belle!" the orange one stated.

Fawkes released Sweetie Belle's leg and brought his hand back to the table.

"How can I help you?" Fawkes asked as he looked down to the orange one.

"I'm Scootaloo, second most awesome pegasus in Ponyville!" she greeted, extending a hoof.

Fawkes carefully reenacted the shake he gave Sweetie Belle as he replied.

"I am Fawkes."

"Girls, how about we give Fawkes some space while you practice?" Twilight hinted bluntly.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded as Scootaloo groaned.

"Come on, Twilight. How many chances are we gonna get to talk to someone like Fawkes?"

"You can ask him questions if you manage to go through your unicycle routine ten times without faltering."

"Ugh! Come on, I can do that in my sleep!"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem," Twilight countered.

"Fine," Scootaloo surrendered, jumping off of the table.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle also followed Twilight's directions and began to seek out certain books. Twilight turned to Fawkes to explain their presence.

"Those three come by once a week for 'Twilight Time,' as they've grown to calling it. It's just a little get together to help them realize what they're talented in."

"That sounds interesting... perhaps I... could help with, something," Fawkes offered.

"Oh, well-" Twilight was about to tell Fawkes to not worry about participating, yet a part of her thought that interacting with the Crusaders might help him as well. "You know what, I'm sure the Crusaders would love to have you join them."

Fawkes stood from the table and followed Twilight.

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

Beneath the layers and layers of crystal and stone structure, the Thrones of Friendship stood still as they were since the castle's spontaneous founding. They had never changed since the day Tirek had been banished back to Tartarus.

Today, however, Twilight's symbol glowed faintly, along with the other five symbols above the thrones, as the ground between the six thrones glowed with a myriad of colors.

Author's Notes:

Leave a comment if you're excited for Fallout 4 coming soon.

I've already secured a Pip-Boy edition on Amazon, and I'll be going to PAX as my next official story character, so I'll try to keep you posted with it!