Author's Notes:

PLEASE READ!!!

Sh!t's about to go down, so yeah, I'll make this quick.

Quick message (begging) to any artists reading this, I would like a picture for the story, if you could please. Just the Wanderer, a slightly dark blue Unicorn with a dark brown Stetson, brown, messy hair, brown eyes, and the blue jumpsuit. If it looks like he's staring into a mirror, like earlier in the chapter, that's awesome. Or I could just have a ponified version of this story's picture that I borrowed from Google Images. If someone does make the ponified version, that'd be just amazing. Just asking.

Celestia watched as her sister's moon was raised into the sky alongside the blinking of her stars taking their place amongst the vast expanse. She smiled when she looked down from her balcony to see her sister being cheered on by gatherers below, who had been watching her display with great interest. It warmed the Sun Princess's heart to see their subjects give her sister such welcoming cheers and praise, and it certainly showed on Luna as well.

Just as the Princess turned around, a green flame rolled up before her and dropped a scroll onto the ground before her. She picked it up with her magic, unfurled it, and began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I wanted to let you know that the "Wanderer" is staying at my castle for the time being. He told me that when he can, he will find his own place and has agreed to let me help teach him magic in exchange for knowledge from his own homeland. Just today, I helped him figure out levitation, but it was as though he had his fair share of experience with it. He also said something about not wanting to teleport, as it seems like cheating or such. While we were working on his magic, however, a Timberwolf came up near us and paid no mind to us at all. In fact, it looked as though it didn't even care we were there. I'll let you know about his progress and what I learn from him as soon as I can.

-Sincerely

Twilight Sparkle

Celestia reread the passage to ensure that she had read it correctly, and then slowly rolled it back up when she realized that she had read it correctly.

"A creature from the Everfree..." She pondered. "No... they never just, let another creature be. Not unless they know they can't take it down."

Celestia stared back out over the expanse of Equestria, or rather, as much as she could from her balcony. A sigh escaped her lips as she eyed Twilight's castle.

'He better not hurt her, or I swear to Faust,' She thought.

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

Jason yawned loudly as he closed the book before him and placed it on the pile next to him. A quick glance showed the Wanderer that he had just read quite a few books. Enough to stack above the height of the bed. He thought about how many he had actually read, and nodded slowly as he recounted the number a few more times.

"Twenty-eight." He stated slowly.

Beside him, Dogmeat stirred and rose with a yawn before casting a glance towards him.

"Sorry, boy." Jason stated, reaching over to pet his friend. "I must have spent a while reading about Equestria. At least now, though, I might have a grasp at some terminology." The Wanderer trailed off as he rose from the sheets and hopped off of the bed. "Instead of hands, since ponies don't have any, it's hoof. And instead of man and woman," Jason strained as he arced his back, eliciting several cracks and pops to rock through him, "it's stallion and mare. A few more terms here and there like filly, colt, foal, and basically just any word that associates with roles just switches them out for the usual placement, like guardstallion instead of guardsman."

The Wanderer continued on his small recap of what he had absorbed as he made his way towards the table, which held an alluring bottle that called his darker desires. As he approached, he heard a whine from Dogmeat. Jason turned around to see the dog looking at him with sad eyes and drooped ears.

"Look, it's to help me get through this, alright?" Jason explained. "I don't need to add your judgement, too."

With that, he turned towards the bottle of fluid and reached out with his magic, thankfully having practiced it the entire time he had been reading. The cork popped off of the top as Jason took in the scent of alcohol.

"Ah, Vodka." He sighed out.

The bottle then found itself being pressed against his lips and lifted so that the inner fluids could rush down the Wanderer's throat. A surge of disgust and numbness attacked his senses as the liquid painkiller did its job, thankfully. When the bottle was half-empty, Jason raised it up and examined the exterior once more. He gave a sigh and placed it in the bag hanging from the chair beside him.

"<bark, bark!>"

Jason turned back to Dogmeat and gave him a glare.

"In case I need some later. Besides, it's not like-"

A knock on the door interrupted the Wanderer as a voice called from the other side.

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

"I heard you were up, so I thought I'd come and tell you that Spike made breakfast. If you want some, just come to the back of the castle, behind the thrones." Twilight stated.

She heard shuffling on the other side as she assumed the Wanderer was getting something together. After a few seconds, the door opened, and there stood the unicorn, hat and all.

"Thank you. I'll be there in a bit." He stated before closing the door.

Twilight smiled lightly and turned back to start her morning with some breakfast.

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

"Ah, shit." Jason stated with a chuckle.

He stared at the display on his Pip-Boy, reading the current time, which was apparently still relevant, since most people, Wasteland or anywhere, are up around 8:00.

"Well, another sleepless night. Whatever. Guess I'll just sleep later." He shrugged before going towards the opposite doors.

The Wanderer eyed the two entrances while shifting to either side. He considered what may be behind either door, and decided to see what the left held. With his magic, he reached out and felt the smooth, hard surface of the handle before twisting it. On the other side was a clean room that held a large tub to the left, and opposite the door was a sink, mounted to the wall. Atop that, was a mirror. In that mirror, for the first time, Jason saw himself. The new him. The Equestrian him.

Jason approached the mirror and carefully examined every part of himself. His face and body were still covered in the same clue coat that matched his jumpsuit. To his initial assumption, the jumpsuit had indeed lost its lower half, as his hind-legs were exposed. Upon his flank, was a mark. A "Cutie Mark," if what the medical journal said was to be trusted. The thought of having something like that made him shiver in disgust. However, when he saw it, he turned his back half towards the mirror and gaped at what he saw. On his flank, was an image of an atom being split in half.

When he finished examining the mark, he examined the jumpsuit a bit more, noting how some spots were coated with a thin layer of dirt, along with his coat of fur. Some spots were torn apart, exposing the fur underneath. A quick step back allowed him to see the way the sleeves were still rolled up on his forelegs, right below the knees. His gaze continued upwards, until he saw his face. His hair, or mane, rather, was still horribly messy, as though he had never combed in his life (which was true, in a sense, since he had chosen to never use one for the past 12 years). It was still brown, thankfully, instead of any other color or shape he had seen as of late. His Stetson seemed to rest behind the ears which were now atop his head, pointed upwards slightly. He noticed that the right one seemed cut, though he wasn't sure how that had happened, considering he couldn't remember ever having a scar on his ear. On his forehead, rested a blue horn that seemed to blend its base with the fur on his head, as it fused into his skull. The sensation of the new part made him uncomfortable at times, but when he used magic, it felt as though he were using his arms again, so there was that.

Finally, he shifted his gaze down to his eyes. They were indeed massive, like every other pony he had passed, being the size of plates. Again, they shared the same brown color as his hair, and had the same feel behind them. The same sense of death, tiredness, emptiness, and just down-right coldness of the man he once was. The killer that he faced every morning. The destroyer that refused to quell. Once more, he felt his own soul reflected onto him, and indeed, he felt it. The wrath of one that proclaims justice and liberty, yet will rush to end a life if it opposes them in the slightest. The pain of the Wanderer. The Lone Wanderer.

Just as he continued to examine his scarred face, Dogmeat got up from the bed and started to scratch at the door. Jason turned around and walked over to the door alongside Dogmeat.

"Alright, let's go get breakfast." He said to his companion.

A thought crossed his mind as he turned to reach for his bag. Another thought came and the item was levitated over to him, and placed upon his chest before being secured around his waist-line. With a smile, he opened the door and allowed Dogmeat to rush out before him. The canine sniffed at the air for a few seconds before barking towards the hallway. Jason chuckled as Dogmeat shot off towards the scent of food.

Jason breathed in the faint scent through his nostrils, and felt the effects instantly. His stomach began to rumble loudly as his mouth began to desperately salivate in preparation for what was being promised. With some extra effort and a mind set on nothing else, the Wanderer began to run... gallop, towards the scent.

As he did, he passed by more doors along the same hallway, all with identical insignias on the center. When he reached the main chamber of the caste, he slowed down and looked up in wonder at the scale of the rotunda. In the center were six thrones, each with a different mark. Three of them caught his eye, as they resembled the "Cutie Marks" of three "mares" he had met thus far. Three apples, three butterflies, and the purple and white stars, all matched that of Applejack, Fluttershy, and of course, Twilight. Another glance upwards convinced Jason that the chamber could fit the Washington Monument before he forced himself to locate the food which was teasing him with its mere scent.

Jason examined the space behind the thrones for a few seconds before locating the opening to the next area. He quickened his pace and found himself walking through another doorway. On the other side was a large, open area that held dual staircases to a balcony level held above the rest of the room, with doors across the wall behind the railing. Below the raised platform, were books galore, spread across most of the walls in the entire space, save for near the doors and windows. To the right of the loft was an assortment of furnishings that reminded him of Tenpenny Tower's lobby, except made of finer fabrics, and not over 200 years old. To the left was a large archway that lead to a nice, wooden area that held what looked to be a kitchen, and thankfully, had an occupied table.

The Wanderer moved towards the table as Twilight waved at him.

"Good morning," She stated while levitating a fork, "sleep well?"

Jason stopped for a second as he thought of an answer.

"Uh... not really. Spent most of the night reading what you gave me."

Twilight smiled as Jason went towards the cushioned seat on the opposite end of the table.

"Really? What did you read?"

Jason examined the soft padding on the chair before positioning his rear towards it. He lifted his flank and was able to finally lean in and sit down on it, thankfully.

"Ahh... Oh, just some medical terminology, some basic societal guidelines, you know, the works. Practiced some levitation while I read, though."

"Well that's good. I'm glad to hear that you're adjusting."

With that, Twilight levitated a plate over to Jason. When he looked down, he had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping and pouring his saliva over the table. The dish had two shining, clean eggs, alongside some fried strings of some kind to the side, and a pile of cooked mush with some spices on it. From what Jason could remember from the the Wasteland's 200 year-old foods, it was more than likely potatoes.

"I must say again, Miss Sparkle, thank you for letting me stay here as well as feeding my little buddy and I."

Dogmeat then barked in response, causing Jason to look over the edge, where he saw Dogmeat eating from a rather expensive looking bowl. Inside were splattered remains of eggs and potatoes. Jason shook his head with a smile, knowing that the poor pieces of food never stood a chance.

Just as he looked back at his plate, Jason's stomach made a rather present grumbling sound that echoed throughout the cavernous loft. He froze and examined the rest of the table, noting that both Twilight and Spike were staring at him wide-eyed with questioning gazes.

'Right. Haven't eaten anything in the past few days. Besides that apple.' He thought to himself.

"Umm..." Spike started, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, just... hungry." Jason stated, trying to move past the awkwardness of the situation.

The other two occupants of the table looked at each other and shrugged before returning to their meals. Jason looked down at the plate once more and licked his lips as he reached out with magic and grabbed a fork and knife, ready to devour it like a Raider on Psycho.

A swift motion of the tools in his grasp, and the fork held a chunk of all three different food items. Jason hefted the fork into his mouth, and in that moment, he experienced taste on a grand scale. Spices danced across his tongue as the textures made began to fill between his cheeks, filling his entire jaw with satisfaction that even Vault Birthday Cake couldn't match if it were cooked to perfection. He looked down at the plate, unaware that he had swallowed the food he had barely chewed, and began to tear into the plate like a Deathclaw.

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

Twilight and Spike found themselves shifting back slightly as they watched the Wanderer literally tear into the food placed before him. At first, the alicorn wasn't sure if she should worry about the display, but before she could say anything, the plate was already being licked clean. She blinked a few times in shock before she realized that the unicorn had actually picked up the plate and was licking it. When he placed it down, his eyes were wide, and his muzzle coated with egg and bits of hay fries. He gave out a sigh and relaxed into the chair.

"Uh..." Twilight stated, unaware that she was even trying to speak.

The Wanderer shot his head back up and moved his gaze between her and Spike. He quickly raised a hoof to clean his face.

"S-sorry about that," He started, "it's just, I've never had something like... that, before."

Spike smirked as he gave a fake cough.

"Well, I do know my way around a kitchen, right Twi?" He asked, raising an eyebrow to her.

Twilight merely sighed as she turned her attention towards the Wanderer.

"It's alright. Why don't you just clean up, and we can head out to practice some other spells?"

The Wanderer stared at her for a moment before nodding briskly.

"Right. And uh, those rooms have working showers?" He asked, pointing a hoof to the door.

"Yes, they do, why?"

"Oh, no reason, just... making sure." He stated before rising from his seat. "Thanks, and again, sorry about that. I'll just... clean up now."

With one more nod, the Wanderer made his way back to the guest area. Hid dog, however, had moved from its previous position and blew air from its nose onto Spike's back. The dragon jumped in surprise and turned to look at Dogmeat. The dog merely stared back at the small dragon before its left ear flicked a bit and it wandered off, presumably to wait for its master. Spike turned back to Twilight and spoke.

"Really? Are we still gonna let him just... do that every morning?"

Twilight shot an unamused look at him.

"You just don't like his dog."

"Oh, come on! Have you even seen the way it looks at me!?"

Twilight chuckled to herself as she began to pick up the plates from across the table, ready to wash them as she heard the water pipes under the floor begin to sound off as the pressure was released in another area of the lower level.

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

"JESUS!" Jason exclaimed, backing away from the stream of water.

His hoof was soaking wet, along with most of his sleeve, as well as the Pip-Boy. Though he had experience with showers, unlike most of the Wasteland, he hadn't expected the liquid to already be primed and heated. He waved the appendage off, trying to throw the water from his foreleg. As he did, the steam from the water began to rise up inside the room, and fog up the mirror. Jason let out a small sigh as he used his magic to find the line along the left side of the jumpsuit that would allow him to exit the fabric. When he found it, he pulled it up the length of his leg as well as his torso, and stopped at his midsection, where the suit now cutoff.

The suit was then lifted off of his fur and exposed the messy, bloody stains and clumps that coated him, much like he had seen as a Human. He pulled the suit to the right and slid the remaining part off of him before straightening it out and placing it on the table outside the door. Along with it, his Stetson was also placed onto the table. A quick look down confirmed that he did indeed still have the white undershirt from the Vault, and it was still bloodstained and torn in many places. Jason sighed as he sat down on his haunches and lifted the shirt with magic. After a quick pull, the rolled it up and placed it alongside his suit before turning towards the stream of water.

Jason stepped into the shower and felt the hot liquid pound through his mangled fur and slide down his skin underneath. He felt it being absorbed by the mutation he received from Harold, and was thankful to be feeling the process of micro-enrichment from standing under the shower. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh of pleasure as he relaxed his muscles. Jason opened his eyes and saw a small bottle of liquid on a small shelf below the shower-head.

'How did I not notice that?' He thought to himself before levitating the bottle over and opening it.

After he sniffed it, Jason poured some out onto himself and tried to push it around with his magic. At that point, however, he learned that his magic couldn't exactly rub well on surfaces, despite how it feels. With a grunt, the Wanderer sat back down and dug his hooves into his chest, trying to at least get something cleaned before he had to rinse off. Thankfully, he managed to get some of his coat soapy, and sat there, admiring the feeling of a shower after being deprived of one for so long.

Jason rinsed out the foamy substance and looked around for anything to dry himself with. His eyes found a towel, on a rack opposite the shower-head, which was somehow dry. He applied friction to his fur with the drying cloth and felt himself shaking like Dogmeat without wanting to. He blinked a few times and waved it off as instincts of the new body.

Finally, Jason had dried himself off, and examined himself once more in the mirror. His mane was still a bit wet, but now he had far less bloodstains on him. Somehow, he managed to crack a smile before walking out of the restroom and picking up his clothes once more. He managed to get the shirt on before a knock came at the door.

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

Twilight waited as she heard some more shuffling around behind the Wanderer's door, alongside Dogmeat, who was laying down beside the door. The canine stared up at the alicorn with a somewhat quizzical look as she fidgeted in place. After a few more seconds, the door opened, and Twilight couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

The Wanderer's blue fur was tangled and scared in multiple places along his midsection, and the shirt he had on was stained in ludicrous amounts of blood and tears. She might not be a fashionista like Rarity, but she knew when somethings weren't supposed to look a certain way. Such cases being a shirt coated with more stains and cuts than the original fabric.

"Yes?" He stated casually.

Twilight raised her hoof to point at his shirt as her mouth moved without forming words.

"Y-your... shirt..." She managed.

He looked down and gave a look of annoyance as he eyed the garment.

"Oh... don't worry about it, just give me a minute and-"

"No, hold on," She started, regaining composure, "we aren't doing anymore practice until I take you to Rarity and have... this," Twilight stated, motioning her hoof towards his shirt, "taken care of. And that includes your suit, too."

The Wanderer gave a sigh.

"Fine. But I'm gonna wear my hat, regardless."

Twilight nodded.

"Fine."

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

Jason found himself amidst the center of the small town, once again. Alongside him, however, was not only Dogmeat, but Twilight. She made him follow with his Vault 101 suit and undershirt in tow, and continued to spew about how great her friend is at what she does.

"... As she did that, her lines started to be noticed up in Canterlot, as well." Twilight stated.

'Selling to the highest bidder as always,' Jason mentally commented, as he had been doing the entire walk.

Though he tried to focus on the story and the journey, he couldn't help but slow down and bask in the sunlight every now and again. He had tampered with the Pip-Boy's genetics function and found out how to program a photosynthesis-esque mutation to his own cells, after observing and noting tested mutation experiments in Vault 87. Thankfully, however, he had made sure that it was a subtle change, and was only a slight adjustment to his already tree-like mutation from his earlier days in the Wasteland. As the Sun's rays beamed down on him, he felt himself becoming stronger, more alert with its presence. He felt powerful underneath the shining orb in the sky, and above all, safer, knowing that as it sat there, dangling above like a fruit from the fishing rod of destiny, he could always recover from anything. He knew that every time it set, it would have to rise again.

Unfortunately, as he thought that, Twilight decided to stop, as he discovered while bumping into her side. Jason quickly backed away and looked around, before setting his sights on the building before them. It was a fine, white and pink building with small ornaments scattered about. The entire place was barely three stories, yet it held more elegance than the entirety of Tenpenny Tower.

The alicorn knocked on the door a few times.

"Just a moment~!" A voice came from the other side.

The three waited for a bit before Jason was looking at a new mare. She had a stylized purple mane, white fur that seemed to be almost as pure and void of stress as the first pony he met, Celestia. Atop her head was a horn, and nothing else, unlike Twilight. On her flank were three diamonds.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything- oh, hello Twilight!" She stated.

"Good morning, Rarity, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fi- DEAR CELESTIA!" She shrieked while raising a hoof to Jason.

The Wanderer raised an eyebrow and followed her hoof, which was pointed at a certain shirt, which was now glowing a light blue as it flew out towards Rarity, whose horn was glowing the same color.

"My, WORD! Of all the rags I've ever seen, this, I-I can't even begin!" She babbled, examining it while flailing it about the air like a flag.

Jason harbored a stern expression as he approached the mare.

"That's my shirt you're talking about." He deadpanned.

Rarity looked away from the bloodsoaked shirt and gave a questioning gaze to him. When she did, however, her eyes widened with horror as she looked at him.

"Dear- how- oh my... GOODNESS! What happened to you!?" She all but screamed.

He had no doubt in his mind that she had just examined the rest of him, especially the war-torn midsection, and was clearly beyond shocked. Jason merely sighed.

"Life in my homeland, that's what happened, now-"

"LUNA'S STARS, WHAT IS THAT!?" She screeched.

Before Jason could look to where she pointed, however, his jumpsuit flew off of his back and was being displayed by the unicorn before him.

"Just, look at this! How can- my word, I've never- I... I can't even..." She babbled, examining every tear and stain on the suit.

"I can't help but feel insulted by everything about this right now." Jason stated.

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

Twilight looked between the two as Rarity was having a meltdown. The fashionista was looking between the two garments with vigor, unaware of the unicorn to whom they belonged standing not even three meters away. As she did switch between them, she started to approach the boutique.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this will never do. I just have to throw these out." She stated, walking towards the door.

"Excuse me!" The Wanderer shouted, causing Rarity to snap back into reality.

"Oh, I apologize sir, I was just so..." She trailed off, staring at the battered clothes.

"You're not throwing those out." He deadpanned.

Rarity blinked a few times as she lightly gasped.

"Oh, pardon me, sir, I'm very sorry. It's just that these are so... broken and, dare I say, bloodied, I just-"

"They're my clothes. My only clothes, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't just take them and leave me here, insulted."

Rarity gaped for a second before huffing out in annoyance and stomping a foreleg down.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be a little kind. Honestly, I'm surprised you never considered throwing these out, the way they are."

"I don- ... didn't, have the privilege, at any time."

"Still, why would you walk around in something so... filthy?" Rarity shuddered as she spoke the final word of the sentence.

"Because they're valuable to me, and I'd rather keep them the way they are as opposed to anyone insulting them."

Rarity gave a 'hmph' as she folded the garments and levitated them back to the Wanderer, who took them back rather aggressively. Twilight frowned at the display between the two and decided to intervene.

"Wanderer, Rarity, please, let's talk this out like civilized ponies." She chided.

Rarity turned on the spot and approached the door once again.

"Not if this ruffian is insistent on being coated with..." Rarity shivered quite visibly, "such stained attire as well as jump to conclusions."

"I'd rather jump a cliff than let her destroy my suit and insult me." The Wanderer stated.

Just as Twilight was about to try again, a crying sound came from down the street, along with shouting.

"R_R_RARITYYYY!!!" A mare cried out.

The four (Dogmeat still present) looked towards the source of the crying, and watched a light brown Earth pony mare with a dark brown mane, blue eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a heart with a foal's bottle came running down the street towards them. While she ran, tears flooded her face and dropped to the dirt below. When she reached Rarity, the mare collapsed and started to wail.

"Miss Tap, are you alright?" Rarity asked quickly.

She gave a few more wails before looking up.

"D-d-diam-mond... Dogs!" She shouted before breaking down into tears once more.

As the mare continued to cry her eyes out, Twilight tried to approach her, but was beaten as a blue hoof connected with her shoulder.

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

"Ma'am?" Jason asked softly.

The mare turned her head slowly as she sniffled.

"W-who...?"

"Please, just try and relax," He stated calmly, "and explain to us what's wrong."

The mare blinked a few times as she took in deep, shaky breaths, before exhaling slowly.

"T-the Diamond Dogs... out by t-the fields..."

"Wait," Rarity interrupted, "the fields? As in-"

"Let her continue." Jason stated harshly as he glared at Rarity.

The white mare puffed her cheeks in anger as he directed his attention to the pony on the ground before him.

"What happened in the fields, ma'am?"

"T-they just... came, out of nowhere and... a-and..." She started to cry out heavily as she began to tremble, "they took Sweetie and Button!" She managed before collapsing into her wails once more.

Jason shot his head up and widened his eyes.

'No... not this place, Goddamnit why!?' He thought, hiding his rage.

Rarity had looked as though someone had ripped her heart out and began to tear up massively.

"They... no... Sweetie... Belle?" She squeaked before wailing as well.

Jason looked over to Twilight.

"Which way are those fields?" He asked.

Twilight blinked a few times before she answered.

"Um, over that way," She pointed with a wing, "why?"

Jason removed his Stetson for a moment as he brought down his shirt and placed the jumpsuit over himself. When it snapped onto his Pip-Boy, the headgear found its place once more as he reached into his bag. Jason drew out the 10mm Pistol as well as its holster and strapped it onto his waist. Dogmeat barked twice as Jason nodded at his companion.

"Stay here with them, I'm going hunting."

With that, Jason and Dogmeat took off in the direction of the fields.