Fallout: Equestria - Frosty Skies
By TornadoFIM
Chapter Three: Wasteland Wonderland
“Yes, I think I’ll have the shotgun, with a side order of blood… Oh and don’t forget the brain matter!”

Sleep…

Sleep was not easy that night. I tossed myself, and turned, and counted brahmin, but… nothing worked. Instead, all I did was think about my maybe-dead mother. I had no doubts that she was dead, that she never made it out. That made it much worse. Hope? There was none. Just regret and grief; I wish I could have helped her. If only I didn’t listen to those final words she muttered before her untimely death, maybe I would have been able to save her.

“Everything will be okay. I promise. Just… watch your back out there -- and even if I don’t make it out of here alive, just remember… I-I’ll be watching from the stars.”

It hurt to remember… I wanted to forget. Was I a bad daughter for abandoning her? Even though she told me to? I could only hope that she made it, even though it’s highly unlikely that she did. But my mother was strong… she had told me all of what she had been through, only days before the invasion. How she had seen it all. The blood, the guts… the violence. How she had seen a pony close to her lose his own life. My dad. What I had seen, at least thus far, was nothing in comparison.

I had to stop being a little bitch and get on with it.

I looked to the screen of the device around my right foreleg, as I lay restless in bed, with nothing but the cold and the silence surrounding me. Ratchet wasn’t back yet, which got me worrying; but he seemed like the type of pony who knew a thing or two. In his absence, I decided to play the Wasteland radio, just for a little bit of… company. I needed to hear a soothing voice, especially after what had happened.

“Now, who on earth would be up at this time of night? Y’all are some crazy fuckers, I’ll give you that. But I love you all for it. You’re what keeps me in business -- without you guys, I’d be ever so lonely up here.

“Onto some rather shocking news: a small village by the name of Winter was attacked earlier this evening, and judging by how severe the attacks were, nopony was left standing. A band of raiders wiped everypony out within the hour. A bloody massacre, where nopony got out. My condolences to those who saw the attack, or knew a pony who was caught in the crossfire. I know what it’s like to lose somepony you love.

“If any of you happened to be there when the attack happened, and got out alive, I’ve got a treat for you. Music! Everypony uses music as a way to calm down, as a way to medicate their trauma or sadness. This track is just for you, if any of you are out there…”

His voice faded away, and replacing it was a soothing track. A track that consisted of relaxing sounds and a very slow tempo. I smiled only slightly, while staring up at the tatty ceiling of the shack. I needed this more than anything, and with Ratchet gone, it gave me time to think about… well, where I go from here. Do I run to Vanhoover now, in the dark? Or wait for Ratchet? Considering that he didn’t sleep, or he claimed he didn’t, I guess I had time to myself. And I’ll admit time to myself, with nothing but a radio playing from the bulky device around my foreleg helped the sooth the pain.

But the sweet music that played, didn’t rid of the pain completely. It didn’t abolish the nightmares I had seen and heard. Innocent ponies, slaughtered for sport. All of them; mothers, fathers… entire families. Gone. Nopony was left standing.

I was alone… for a few seconds more, anyway. I heard the door open, the rough materials of the doorway grinding against the door loudly, as the hooded stallion wandered back in. Judging by how loud and cold it was outside, I could tell we were in a storm, some of the snow from the blizzard pouring inside of the hut, before the Pegasus slammed the door shut.

He noticed I was still awake, before pulling back his snow-dressed hood. “Sky. What are you doing up?” he asked, speaking over the radio playing from my PipBuck. “It’s late.”

But then I noticed, on his left foreleg. Blood. Not his own, either… I felt like asking about it, but then he swiftly covered it up and cursed below his breath. “Sorry… I was just concerned was all,” I began, taking a big gulp. “And… I cannot sleep, after. Y’know.”

“Yeah, I do know,” he sighed, hanging his hood up on his aged coathanger. “But if you let it bug you, you won’t focus. We move out towards Vanhoover when the storm passes, I need your eyes sharp. Don’t think I’ll be doing the dirty work.” I was actually glad that he didn’t ask anymore questions about the subject, nor did he gloat about blood. I was relieved that we let the subject of ‘what happened’ die.

“How far away is Vanhoover from here?” I asked, blinking as I silenced the radio. Ratchet, rummaging through his saddle bag, placed a pistol; a splintered bat; small ammo boxes; a bottle of half-empty Sparkle-Cola; and a small sack of caps onto the table in front of him, before responding to my question. Eventually.

“A few days walk… we’ll need to stop in at various settlements we find, or set up camp if we’re not quick enough,” he spoke, looking to me with a frown. “Though… with a storm like that, I’d highly advise that we don’t take the latter option. Settlements are a must.”

“R-right.” I looked back to my PipBuck, still trying to get used to the newly-found device on my leg, before hearing him speak again.

“You do know that thing has a built-in map, right?” My cheeks flushed with red, as I looked up at him with wide eyes. I… actually did not know that. “I mean, how else would ponies know where they’re going, unless they traveled the wastes daily… like me?”

But then I came to a sudden realisation. “Wait… we’re leaving tomorrow?! What about my spinal injury?” Considering that I had been resting for the past few hours, I hadn’t actually realised that my spine was in no condition to be punched at, shot at and so on. Since according to him, that’ll happen a lot.

“You know that potion you drank? The one that put you to sleep? It’s a healing potion, but with a slight twist. It put you to sleep because it can heal most of the severe damage while you’re knocked out. Any damage you have now isn’t severe, but is still painful. It should heal completely within a day or two.” Somehow, I didn’t believe it. But maybe that was me being a pussy.

“Mmmhmm, now get some sleep,” he said in a demanding tone of voice, shooting me a look. “Like I said, I ain’t allowing you to sit back and relax while I take care of all the dirty work. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us, and the first day’s always the hardest day; get some rest while you can.”

“Yeah…” I’ll admit, I felt a little unsure. Thankful that he had saved me from my imminent death, but I barely knew him and he wanted me to sleep here. Here. In HIS bed, in HIS shack? I mean, he could fondle me or something. But I had slept just fine before he came back, so... I had to remember that. At least, I think I did.

The next morning, we got up as early as possible. Five AM to be specific. He didn't tell me why – he just woke me up at stupid O'clock in the morning. But I guess the buck had his reasons... somewhat. Once I had gathered everything I needed, we headed out just minutes after waking from our slumbers. I'll admit, I felt better than I did a few hours prior.

The first thing I felt though? Cold. Too cold. There was a light blizzard gliding across the landscape, carried along by a gentle breeze. The first thing I saw? Dunes of snow... as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of civilization in sight, other than a few crumbled buildings lying in their own rubble, but even those were predominantly covered by a thick white sheet. A cold one at that.

The rising sun, seeping through the minuscule gaps in the thick winter clouds above. There were no ponies in sight, at least not as of yet. No Raiders... nothing. I felt like we were alone. The cloaked Pony who rescued me the night before, began to walk ahead, his hooves sinking into the snow, leaving deep prints behind him.

After a few seconds of 'taking it all in', I began to trudge through the thick snow, following Ratchet as he ventured into the arctic wasteland that faced us. To break the silence, he decided to remind me of where we were going, and how far away it was. Not that he needed to remind me, of course...

“Vanhoover is a few days walk from us. If you ever feel like you need a rest, just give me a shout... Not too loud, though. We don't want to end up as someone's next target,” the stallion spoke, as I felt the breeze turn into a stronger wind. “Some pony gal I know lives there. She can set us up with a place to rest, and maybe hand us a few supplies too.”

“I trust she won't think I'm replacing her as your marefriend, buddy,” I said with a small chuckle to myself. However, the little joke backfired a little, as the buck stopped in his tracks and groaned to himself, before glancing back at me. Seeing the anger in his eyes made my heart sink... just a bit.

“Look... I should probably inform you about something, alright?! I am not the dating type. My last experience nearly tore me apart. If you want to become my friend, you've not made a good start!” he groaned in a raspy voice. I soon noticed a tear in his eye, wondering what did happen... But I didn't ask. If it was really that bad, surely he wouldn't trust someone like me with the information he's hiding.

“I'm sorry... I was just joking, you know?” I soon went on to change the subject. “Who is this mare anyway? Is she a close friend?”

“Her name's Eventide. She's a friend, but not super close. I trust her enough that she'll help us, though. As long as I give her my word that you're one of the good Ponies, and not some Raider in disguise. She has trust issues. So if you want to make sure you keep all of your limbs, I'd suggest not getting on my bad side.” I gulped, knowing that I had to be careful with the words I chose next.

“And Vanhoover... it is safe, right?” We continued walking for a few more seconds, before he bothered to respond to me, quite hesitantly too.

“For the most part, yes. But there some no-go areas there, too. So I would watch your back, if I were you.” We reached a small, desolate house, left in ruin. However, instead of being completely buried beneath the snow, the entire frame, as well as the ground floor were completely visible.

I had a feeling something was wrong here... very wrong. It looked too neat, for what the Wasteland was. In fact, it looked extremely tidy compared to what most of the houses did. Especially since it still had a lot of the furniture from before the blast centuries ago still present. As we reached the collapsed doorframe of the entrance, I was the first to enter. The frail, and burnt floorboards beneath my hooves, rough to the touch. Shattered picture frames hanging from the wall. Some? On the floor, where the glass of the frame lay in shards around them. Old, colourless pictures, wrinkled and curled with age. And yellowing. A sofa, torn apart, and punctured with bullet holes. Painted with dry blood splatters.

A filly's cot. Awkwardly placed against the wall that used to be there. And inside of it... I will not lie when I say my heart skipped a beat when I saw what I saw. The skeletal frame of a filly, holding its toasted bear close to its chest. The poor thing must have felt that the bear was a sign of safety, that it would keep them safe. It was a painful sight to see...

The remains of the family, however, were nowhere to be seen in what remains of their home. Did they up and leave without the filly? Or did they perish more than the youngling did?

Peering over the cot, I felt my eyes grow teary as I imagined what had happened all those years ago. How devastating the blast really was. How much pain and suffering all these ponies went through. The ponies that didn't make it to the Stables in time, or at all. The ones that were left behind – to die as Equestria did. Just imagining the things the ponies that remained on the surface went through was painful to think about.

I moved away from the cot, shaking my head to try and rid myself of the thoughts eating away at me, while Ratchet searched the desolate home for anything useful. I felt a little bit of pressure on my healing spine from all this standing, so I decided to sit on the... incredibly rough and uncomfortable surface. Not a good idea at all.

“You know, there's a perfectly good couch there,” Ratchet said, pointing out the obvious as he tilted his head to the rotting sofa sat in the far corner of the room. Eh. Considering how disgusting it looked, I'd rather have the floor over that.

“Do you think anypony survived the blast?” I asked, looking to my PipBuck, and fiddling around with it. But like before, it took a few seconds to get a reply from my newly-acquainted companion.

“They did, actually. They call them ghouls. It's when they take up so much radiation, instead of dying, they survive and become something... horrific,” he started, as he rummaged through the nooks and crannies of the old home. “Some ghouls are tame, while others...? As soon as they catch sight of a pony, they have an unquenchable bloodlust that needs to be fed.”

“I see... and these nice ghouls you speak of. They can't turn... can they?” I looked away from my PipBuck, to my hooded companion. The buck placed a few caps he found into his saddlebag, before looking to me with no emotion whatsoever.

“Well... there's been rumours. Some say they've befriended ghouls, only for them to turn feral and attack just weeks later. But I've had no personal experiences with tame ghouls like that.” He proceeded to leave the rubble, before stopping in the doorway. “When you're ready, just give the word.”

I gave him a small nod in response.

My rest, however, was short lived. My EFS picked up one. No, two. No, no. Three... Oh Goddess. More and more red blips were appearing on my EFS, all of which were heading in our direction. Fast. Roughly about seven blips altogether, all heading towards us. Ratchet was completely unaware. I would think he'd have perfect view of the enemies charging towards our position, but no. He had no idea, clearly.

“Get to cover,” I warned him sternly, standing onto my hooves steadily. I scanned the area for more red blips. We were in the clear, for now. It was just the seven on their way. “My Eyes-Forward-Sparkle is showing seven red blips coming towards us.”

“Shit... already?!” Ratchet groaned, unholstering his pistol as he gripped it between his upper and lower jaws. “We've barely been out for an hour. Why now?!” The Pegasus shifted behind whatever remained of the wall next to the doorway, preparing for the attack.

I opened my saddlebag, levitating my own pistol from my bag. Considering that shots from the opposition had not been fired yet, I took the time we had to check my magazine. As the metal casing slid out from the grip, I counted the bullets I had. Eleven; a full magazine. From what I could remember, I had enough ammo altogether to last me a few days. That's if we were constantly ambushed like so, everyday.

I quickly ducked behind sofa, the stench of it alone making my nose shrivel up. But I had to ignore it.

Bufph! Fzzttt!

Distance gunshots began firing at us. They know we're here. Peeking over the couch, I could see them this time, only just. I could only peek for a few seconds, before a bullet whizzed passed me, only narrowly missing me by an inch. I was scared—no... I was petrified of what was about to come. Last time I couldn't pull the trigger. No. But this time, I was determined to do so.

I peeked over for a few seconds more, so I could get into S.A.T.S with ease. I targeted the closest one I could from this range. Raiders. The entire group were charging towards us, all wearing thick coats and balaclavas to cover their muzzles. And with that, goggles to shield their eyes. However, my chances of actually hitting the target were slim; but what difference would it make? They knew we were here.

I was hesitant at first. I didn't want to kill another pony. But I knew I had to, or I wouldn't be able to live out here. I took a deep breath, inhaling the surrounding cold into my lungs, before targeting the torso of the target, and firing one singular shot.

BANG!!

The shot, however, missed. On the bright side though, the bullet that the Raider evaded, managed clip the leg of one of their companions, sending them down in a heap of pain. As I exited S.A.T.S, their screams of pain as the lead penetrated their flesh became audible. Did I really shoot another pony?! I'd never done anything like this in my life, nor would I have ever thought that I'd have to.

“I'd suggest attacking now, Ratchet!” I ordered my companion, ducking back down behind the sofa as the shots from the invaders really started to hit us. Bullet after bullet, flying overhead, at great speed. I scurried to the left of the couch, peering to see how bad our situation really was.

Ratchet removed the hood from his head to get a better view, before peeking around the corner and firing a couple of shots towards the Raiders, however to no avail.

“Gah, it's no use... they have more firepower than us!” Ratchet moaned as he struggled to get any decent time to take aim and fire. Despite the firepower bombarding us, I quickly scurried over to his position, dodging a few wayward bullets narrowly.

My heart was really beginning to pound against my chest. The adrenaline was unreal.

“Gah, shit. The fucker's jammed!” This was my cue. I quickly locked into S.A.T.S again, locking onto the Raider struggling to reload. This time, they were close enough to be shot. I targeted the torso twice, and their horn once.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

All three bullets hit successfully. The first punctured the skin, the blood that splattered onto the snow being evident of that. The second bullet only increased the damage the first shot did, as it collided with the first one, only to push it deeper into the Raider pony. The third shot, cutting through the bone of her horn, removed it completely. This sent them into a spasm of pain and agony, as they collapsed, losing blood and holding the clean cut of where their horn used to be.

However, this put me in the shit. Like, really deep. They all turned to me, locking their sights at the mare who blew off their friend's horn.

“F-f-fffucckkkin'... biiiiiitchhhh!” the buck sounding Raider yelled. I'll say, though. The fact that he was rolling around in pain, slightly overdoing it might I say, didn't really bode well for his masculinity. “I-I'm gonna kill you...”

He began to climb onto his blood-soaked hooves slowly, picking his large shotgun back up in his jaws. But before he could fire a shot again, I quickly fire blindly at him, my eyes closing as I waited to get shot down by his friends. But... as I opened my eyes, I saw that my shot had gone right between his eyes, blood and brain matter painted on a small rock behind him.

He fell down, twitching and choking on his own blood as the last remaining bit of life left his system. I just stared in shock, as the battle between us and the Raiders had come to a sudden halt for a few seconds. D-did I just KILL another pony?! Did I just willingly take somebody else's life?!

“You're dead now, kiddo!” I heard one of the mare Raiders groan in a dry, raspy voice, before she cocked her assault rifle back and began to spray bullets at me, charging towards the building once more. I quickly ducked down to sit next to Ratchet.

“I've got a plan...” I began, hearing the bullets ricochet off of the door frame and wall we hid behind. “You may not like it, but it's the best we have going for us!” I exclaimed, peeking over the small wall, that was slowly deteriorating from all of the gunfire it was taking. Each passing second, they were getting closer and closer, to the point where I could only peek for a millisecond, before a bullet nearly ended my journey.

“Well, what is it?!” my “delightful” companion asked impatiently, as the Raider ponies began to close down on our position.

“We attack them from two differen--” and as I spoke those words, I heard exactly what I was going to say from the mare Raider leading the attack.

“We attack them from two different angles. Surround the house! Don't let them get out alive!”

Damn, she was smart. For a Raider, who's only aim in life is to kill, she was smart. Ratchet's face lost a bit of colour, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen. However, this only spawned another idea. An idea that was risky, and a tad bit cocky of me, but it'd work. At least I hoped it would.

“Change of plan... You attack the grunts, who are no doubt coming around the back of the house...” I started, peeking over to see the leader alone, with one of her meek little grunts by her side, waiting for her order. “The leader? She's mine...”

“Are you nuts?! Have you seen her gun?! She'll shoot you down, before you can even get close to her!” Thank you, Ratchet, for pointing out the obvious. As if I didn't know that she'd most likely kill me. Of course she would, but would he be any better at taking her down?!

“Well, have you got any better ideas?!” I exclaimed, glaring at him as our time was slowly running out.

Sighing, the buck responded, “No. I haven't. So I take out the guys coming around the back, right? Okay. I'll do what I can.”

If they were going to attack us the 'smart' way, then we'd have to do the same. However, I was beginning to regret sending Ratchet after the posse their boss had sent out after us – he didn't sound ready for it. Not at all. It was as if he was willing to die, right there on the spot.

Standing up, Ratchet looked to me with a look of dismay. “You know; if this all goes to shit, then I'm placing you responsible for my impending death.” The buck proceeded to silently sneak around to where the small gang of Raiders were, leaving me on my own. He wasn't confident, and that worried me.

It was then my turn. I levitated my pistol, checking the magazine – I only spent four of my eleven bullets. It should be enough to waste the damn bitch. If not, I could always reload with quick succession. At least, I would hope I could – I don't think I've ever reloaded an actual gun before. Not from my understanding, anyway.

Hearing a couple of shots, presumably from companion (at least I hoped), I proceeded to leave the wreckage of the house, walking slowly towards the large, buff mare. Shit. She was much bigger than I thought. She stood tall, wearing spiked armour around her legs and torso. A balaclava covering her muzzle, and a pair of blacked out goggles shielding her, no doubt, bloodshot eyes. I didn't get a proper look at her before, but now that I had... I wish that Ratchet was here too.

Nervously walking towards my own demise, slowly, her servant looked at me, his eyes widening with glee. Clearly insanity had already plagued his mind beforehand. She hadn't seen me... yet.

“M-mistress! Look!” he groaned, his grin revealing his horrendous teeth. “This one's still alive.” Another gunshot echoed from behind, more and more filling the air as Ratchet had started a battle. At least it gave me an indication that he was still alive, at least up to now.

“Oh yes... And she's all on her own. I assume your 'friend' is getting torn apart by my grunts,” she choked, as her dry voice sounded as if she had phlegm lodged in her throat. “That means this one's all mine!”

“And mine!” the meek Raider by her side, who clearly hadn't eaten in days, called weakly. Only to receive the back of her hoof to his face.

“You get nothing! This one is all mine, and that's it! Anypony else try to take her down, will have to answer to my rifle!” Her attitude was terrible towards her servant. Did he really deserve that? And on top of that, the threat of being punished with death?

“H-hey, you didn't have to do that!” I called out, glaring at the large Raider pony. Worst. Mistake. I've ever made. Period.

SWOOSH!!! THUD!!!

Her large, hulking hoof, collided with my jaw, filling my face and my body with an unimaginable pain. Not only did my jaw feel cracked and broken, but my entire body felt broken. The impact, leaving a large bruising mark on my cheek, sent a shockwave through my entire body. Even if I was to breathe, or move a leg only slightly, I would feel a sharp pain that made me want to cry.

But not out here. No. My gun, which was flung across the cold sheet beneath me, sat against a small snowy dune, covered in cold.

“Now, now, little mare. You don't disrespect your elders like that,” she calmly stated, before stomping on my healing spine. AGH!! Fuck! It felt like she had grabbed it and snapped it in two. The pain was unreal. I felt warm tears begin to build from my tear ducts. “Now just lie still, while I end your pathetic life.”

I couldn't move. I was in severe pain... I was paralysed. I felt dead. Was I dead yet? Well, no. I wasn't. If I was, I wouldn't be able to feel her warm breath against my neck. And the stench of it? Oh, it was like I stuck my head in a sewage pipe and used that for my source of oxygen.

I kept my eyes closed, warm tears beginning to run down my cheeks as I felt a large barrel poke the back of my head. I felt my heart pounding against my chest, wanting out before it died with me too. I couldn't do anything. My body was throbbing with pain. A pain that I had never felt, in the years I've been alive. No. Feeling what I felt, I wanted to die. Just so the pain could stop.

“No resistance? Are you that weak?! So weak that you can't even get your gun and shoot me?!” she taunted, as I felt her thick saliva land onto my back as she spat out those words. “You don't belong out here...”

This was it...

BLAM, BLAM!!

G-gunshots?! Was... was I dead? No. I wasn't. I could still feel the pain from when the mare assaulted me. But just milliseconds after the shots were fired, I felt a thick, gloopy and warm liquid splash against my body. I wanted to open my eyes, just for a second. I glanced back, opening my eyes to see the bare, with a large chunk of her face blown off. Her tongue flailing out of her shattered jaw. Her eyeball, hanging from the string of flesh it was connected to... and her actual jaw? Hanging from her mouth, before she collapsed. Dead.

“W-what the...?” I looked back to where I was facing, to see Ratchet with a sawed-off shotgun between his mouth, the blood coating his face as he murdered her. “Ratchet?!”

He ignored me call his name, before the buck placed his new weapon into his saddlebag, and then leaning down to me with a pained sigh. “Hurt again? Is this going to be a frequent thing? Have you never been in a life threatening situation? Not counting the one I originally found you in last night.”

He was right. I hadn't. I'd never properly used a gun before, up until now. Nor had I been in a proper fight until now. “N-no...” I spoke, struggling to muster any words from my aching mouth. “I-I'm hurt. Bad. She hit me hard.”

“There's a small town not far from here... I'll take you there and then you can rest up.” W-was he... wanting to help me? Really? After my failed attempt at killing her? Why would he help me after that? Clearly I wasn't 'companion material'.

“W-why are you going to help me? I'll only slow you down...” I groaned, still unable to move from the throbbing pain that surged through my whole, delicate body. At least, in the state I was in, it was delicate.

He just sighed. “Could you stop being melodramatic? Your plan didn't work out completely, big deal. You're still alive, aren't you? That's good enough for me.” He was right. I was alive, I guess... It's not like I was completely lifeless. “Tell you what; I'll carry you there, just this one time. You're too weak to walk, and I'm sure if you were to run or overexert your body again, you'd only collapse.”

“Th-thank you...” I whimpered weakly, as the strong buck steadily bent down and gently lifted me onto his back. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to be on, but it was better than trying to force myself to walk again.

He kept to his word. He carried me all of the way there. I was grateful for that. I mean, considering my current condition, he was right about it being hard for me to walk. I could barely breathe without it hurting me in a way. My jaw hurt the most those, considering that's where she had hit me.

Despite the thumping pain, I did manage to get some rest while he carried me there. In other words, I ended up passing out. I assume it was because I had a potential concussion from the impact of the Raider's hoof. The connection was strong, so it was a possibility.

I woke up what felt like minutes later, in a completely different place than I was when I passed out. Warmth... that was the first thing I felt. Then the softness of a bed below me, at least, I thought it was a bed. I did feel a soft sheet cover me, so it certainly was a bed. But whatever it was, it was soft. And then... the pain, circulating around my body. Ow. It fucking hurt so much. Not as much as before, I'd say. But still it was painful to even turn my head.

I opened my eyes once my body had woken from a long slumber, the brightness of the room stinging my eyes as they fluttered open. When my eyes eventually opened, I was greeted by the sun peeping through the clouds, beaming into my eyes.

“Gah, dammit!” I groaned, as I felt my eyes sting from the sunlight. I quickly turned my head away from the unwelcome sun rays. The first thing I noticed in the room was how the maroon wallpaper was peeling with age from the mahogany walls behind it. Empty drawers, all with their draws opened up as if the place was raided, hugged the walls.

I proceeded to scan the room, a solitary lightbulb hanging from the ceiling by what looked like a thread of wires. So thin that it'd take mind power alone to tear it from the string. There were large chunks torn out of the ceiling, allowing the crumbling dust above to gently fall onto the floor.

“Ah, you're awake,” I heard the familiar voice of my companion say with a slight tone of relief. I locked my sight onto him, to see him peeping out of the window at the far end of the room, before turning towards me and slowly walking over. “You've been out for a few hours now.”

“W-what...” I began weakly, blinking slowly as I tried to contain myself again. “What time is it...?”

“Four in the afternoon,” Ratchet said with a small smile on his face. “I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake.” So he did give a shit? That was new. I knew he cared a bit, because he wouldn't have carried me here if he didn't. But he was genuinely concerned. I wasn't just a buddy for him. “I might have to see a doctor of some sort. My supplies aren't good enough for your injuries.”

Ah, shit. That didn't sound good.

“She hit me that bad, huh?” I asked, still weak and unable to move from the bed I felt glued to. “She had quite a swing on her, I'll say!” I attempted to add a little of jokiness to the comment. Didn't work too well.

“Just be glad you're still alive. There's a clinic nearby, just across this building. I'll pay a visit and get some supplies,” he started, but then his gaze turned slightly more serious. “I, uh, might need to borrow a few caps. The clinic here's expensive, believe me.”

“I see.” I heard ponies outside of this place, wherever I was. I assumed it was a hotel, or something. It was quite loud to say it was a small town. “Where are we, again? I don't think you told me, actually...”

“Here? This place is called Clinton. Quite an odd name, but it's a small market town. Hence why you can hear so many ponies.” He returned to peek out of the window again, a small wry smile spreading on his face. “A lot of the ponies here know they're safe here, at least with the protection from the NVR – they pack a lot of firepower, and it's the only reason this place is left standing.”

“The NVR?” I asked, as I tried to sit up. At first I did fail, but I managed to eventually get the strength to sit up against the backrest. It hurt to move like I did, but I needed to remain awake. At least, now that I was awake, anyway.

“You've never heard of them? You have a lot to learn,” Ratchet answered me with a tone of sarcasm in his voice. “They're the reason these ponies, and most ponies in the Wasteland, are still alive. At least the ones that don't mean harm or do good. They mostly cover the Vanhoover area, but often come down from Vanhoover to help neighbouring villages. Like this one.”

“Are they big?” I brought up another question about the NVR. I had heard of them, I just sadly barely knew anything about them.

“Heh, are they big? Big's an understatement.” The sun rays from outside lightened up his face as his focus turned to me. “They're a military operation, in a sense; a fully fledged army. Weapons, armour – you name it, they've got it. They give those Shadow Legion bastards what-for, that's for sure.”

Shadow Legion...? Where had I heard that before? I couldn't quite put my hoof on it, so the most I could do from this point was query about it. “And the Shadow Legion? What are they?”

“My, my. You really have no clue, do you?” his head lowered in a form of disappointment. At least that's the impression I got. However, with a deep sigh, he spoke again. “Look. Instead of telling you about them, I do have this document hidden away in my bag. Maybe that'll help you more than I am willing.”

He gave me a chip of some sort from his bag, of course after a bit of rummaging. I was confused at first – what did he give me exactly? Was it a document, or an audio file of some sort? I'll admit; I had no idea what the hell I was doing with this thing. Well, not until he gave me guidance.

With a heavy sigh, he walked up to me and uttered the words, “You download that thing, onto your PipBuck. That isn't too hard, right? It'll give you answers I simply cannot.” Once my stupid little brain managed to figured out how to download stuff onto my PipBuck, I proceeded to do so. Ratchet proceeded to leave the room.

“W-where are you going?!” I exclaimed, hoping that he'd stay, just a little bit longer. Yeah. Good luck with that.

“To get some supplies,” he replied with calmly. “Shops close in about forty minutes.”

I couldn't say anything else after that. He'd already left, unfortunately. So, I was here all on my own, with nothing but the recording I downloaded onto my PipBuck. I honestly, at this point, had no choice but to give it a listen. The silence after he left was enough to send anypony mad, let alone somepony like me.

“This message is brought to you by the Vanhoover Shadow Legion; purging the world of evil, for the greater good!

“Good evening – this is Commander NightGlyph; I am the leader of the VSL, or the Vanhoover Shadow Legion if you prefer to be... technical. It doesn't matter what you call us, just as long as you fight for our cause.

“Let's go over the basics, shall we?

“Many, many years ago, the Vanhoover Shadow Legion was formed for one purpose; to bring hope and prosperity to those who live in the northern land of Equestria – and we still fight for the ponies of Equestria, for that reason. We have one simple rule here, though – one rule you must follow at all times.

“Show no remorse.

“The enemies of the VSL deserve nothing but a swift death, and you must follow direct orders if they're given to you – or it'll be you who loses out on breathing the oxygen you breathe.

“Back onto the topic at hand.

“When the Shadow Legion was formed, there were only four members at the time. Ironclaw; Garren; Cybor; and Saren. All of which possessed strengths unlike any other. You could say they were... Mary Sue. But they didn't need anymore members. They not only protected the city of Vanhoover from the dangers that threatened it; war.

“The Shadow Legion played their part in the Great War – and while their army was small – they still managed to take enough lives with them.

“That was... until the bombs fell. As soon as balefire lit up the sky, and the battlefield lost, the megaspells sadly claimed the lives of those who founded the Shadow Legion, just ten-or-so years after forming – and they were forgotten after that day by those that took shelter in the underground Stables.

“No word ever broke out about these noble warriors that put their lives on the line, warriors who name would forever go down in Equestria's bloody history. They were the forgotten heroes of the war; all four of them.

“And that was where I—I mean, we, come in. We decided enough was enough – we being my friend Griff and I. We formed the newly improved Vanhoover Shadow Legion. We wanted Equestria to remember the true heroes, the true reason to why they still have hope to this day.

“Unlike our predecessors we laugh in the face of resistance. Or actually, should I say, we shoot the face of resistance? Anyone, or anypony for that matter, retaliates against the might of the Shadow Legion, they will be met with a swift death.

“The Northern Vanhoover Republic, the scum that they are, are damaging the Wasteland the citizens within it. They need to be eradicated – wiped off of the face of the earth. But we can only do it with your hope, as the war is still ongoing.

“Sign up today! Just come to the VSL Spire, in the north-east of Vanhoover City.

“Your future is in your hooves.”

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Buckin' Nerdy – You love your information! Especially when it comes to reading and listening! Your intelligence has boosted by +1 – but your agility suffers, by a -1 attribute.

Current level: 3

Author's Notes:

I would like to apologise for the delay. Motivation doesn't come cheap, at all. But I did it. Eventually.

I would like to thank my editor, Hardline Potato, for offering to be my editor! She has helped in more ways than she knows.