Fallout equestria : Monarch of a new world

 Chapter 4

 The path before us

Ah, nature. Beautiful, ain’t it? Watch out for

the radiators though, they bite.

        The wasteland, as Long John called it before, is large. Very large. Now that might have seemed obvious to anyone who had known the size of Equestria before the Balefire bombs went off, but when there are noticeable landmarks and interesting things to look at, distance seems to be less noticeable. However, looking at the same dry dirt ground, step after step, with the occasional dying shrub along the path, doesn’t really make one pony stop and stare. Usually, I would try talking with the ponies I am traveling with to pass the time, but a seemingly mute colt and a socially inept alicorn make very poor company, so we trot down the endless plain in silence.

When we were finally able to move away from the sight of Canterlots destruction we discovered that Sunshine didn’t enjoy flying when the poor colt started to dry heave on my back mid flight. Walking suddenly became our only option.

       Hoofs stretch to yards, yards to miles, and so on until the ruins of Canterlot were out of sight and the memories that came with it slowly faded to the back of my mind. More important things were at hoof. We stopped earlier to check what supplies we had and found out that we only had enough food for another day before we would run out, and that’s only counting Sunshine and I. Luna knows how much Night Wish will eat. Sunshine tired out quickly when we started walking again, today’s earlier rush through the city had taken a lot out of him, so I let him take the rest of the day off, what little of it there still was, and nap on my back. The sun has already begun to set behind the clouds, causing the sky to turn a deep orange. I trot over to Night Wish’s side, and I say, “We need to find someplace to sleep.”

She glances towards me. “Yes, goddess. Would you like me to search for someplace to rest?” I nod my head and take a step back, expecting her to take off into the sky to look, but instead she glances off into the distance. “There is a town to the north, little over a mile away. We could make it there before sundown and would still have enough time to eat, if you would like, goddess.”

       I glance off in the direction she is looking, finding nothing more than the same endless plains that we have been looking at for the last hour and a half. “There is?” I ask. After a moment I can see a dark blur, little more than a dot on the horizon. “Huh,” I say surprised. I glance up at her with a smile. “You have very good eyes.”

       “Thank you, goddess.” She says, a smile on her face so wide it looks like it was drawn on. Her voice is filled with delight, “Your compliment will be cherished.”

       “You’re welcome?” I say confused. “Please don’t call me goddess. I’ve already told you my name is Cadence.” Sunshine stirs a little as we start walking towards the town. He looks around for a second, then rests his head along my mane again. I can hear him snoring moments later.

       “You have always demanded to be called goddess before, why do you ask now to be called different?”

       “What do you mean?” This alicorn always seems to confuse me. “When have I ever asked you to call me that?”

       Night Wish shakes her head but doesn’t respond.

       “Also, where are the other alicorns? There were five of you when I first woke up, then you show up by yourself when the pegasi arrive.”

       “They are doing as they must. I have been given the honor of staying with you while all is sorted out,” she answers cryptically.

       See? Every time! I swear she does it on purpose.

      With the conversation dying as quickly as it is, I glance around to find something to occupy me as we trot, but there seems to be nothing of interest around us. Sunshine wiggles on my back, pushing his hoof against my saddlebag and forcing a lump from inside the bag to push against me. I curiously open the bag with my magic, bringing out the Wasteland Survival Guide, the paperback that Long John had given to me before we left. I open the book and begin to read to myself, but before I get past the first paragraph Night Wish speaks up, “Could you read aloud please?”

       I glance over to her, giving her a curious eye, then nod with a smile and read aloud, “The Wasteland Survival guide by Ditzy Doo...”

The Wasteland Survival Guide

By Ditzy Doo

Chapter 1 - Introductions and Basic Survival

       Hi there! If you are reading this book it means you are taking the first step to survival. Congratulations! Many ponies have dared to live in the wasteland without the proper information to survive and many have died because of it. Without knowing how to bandage a wound or the best way to treat a radscorpion sting with only a bottle of whisky and a toothbrush, you may be putting yourself and everypony with you in a lot of unnecessary danger! I have seen many good ponies get seriously injured or even killed from lack of knowledge, so I have made it my duty to inform YOU how to survive in the wasteland.

       The first and most important thing that you should do to improve your chances of surviving in the wasteland is to pay close attention to your surroundings. It can be easy to overlook that landmine you’re about to step over, or even the knife in that pony’s mouth as he slowly walks towards you. Watch out! To help keep yourself aware, make sure to eat as healthy as possible. It may be easy to eat sugar apple bombs every day, but make sure you get a balanced meal every day, and yes, that does include meat. Though ponies have not always eaten meat, it is an easy source of protein that will give you that extra Umph you need to keep you awake enough to see that hellhound creeping up on your friend. Every meal counts, and so does every second.

       Keep a close eye on your friends, for their safety and your own. That’s the second rule of the wasteland, make some friends! Ponies naturally have a herd mentality, so follow your instinct. Having somepony, or someone, to watch your back will keep everypony alive longer. A pony can only watch half of what is going on, and two need to have their eyes open all the time. A group is the best option if you are looking to be traveling for large amounts of time. Always be kind to those around you while you are at it, making enemies does nopony good.

       However, be careful with who you try to make friends with. Everypony deserves a chance at friendship, but never be naive! The world has changed, and some ponies are just plain mean. Out in the wastes there are some ponies that think anything goes, so they start working as bandits, raiders, or even slavers! Bandits will try and rob you and your friends for everything you have. Raiders are terrible, cruel ponies who want nothing more than to have a good time, usually by flaying your skin off. That’s no good! Be careful around these stallions; they have a tendency for raping and pillaging. Slavers are ponies who want your body. It could be for physical labor, sale, or... personal service.

       These ponies do horrible things that can’t be forgiven, but remember, everypony started off the same. The pony that is stabbing your friend in the gut may be doing it because he has children to feed, or a drug addiction that he can’t get treated. Killing is never the perfect solution, but if anypony tries to harm you, it is your right to defend yourself.

       To defend yourself, however, you will need some type of weapon and they come in many different shapes and sizes. There are firearms, which shoot projectiles at your enemies, usually held by the mouth or with magic. Melee weapons, things like bats and spears, are used to hit and stab your enemy with. If you don’t find yourself the type of pony who likes to kill others then there are a few ways to protect yourself other than carrying around a big stick. I recommend that you find yourself a set of barding or some type of clothing that can protect you against both the elements and from other ponies. Another way to protect yourself is with words. Some ponies have a particular way of talking to others that gives them an edge, be it scaring the crap out of them with threats, confusing them with science talk and big words, persuading them with money and other goods, or seducing them to do what they want. Anything goes in the wasteland, just be careful what you say. Somepony might just call your bluff.

       The wasteland is full of ponies, big and small, all with different talents, skills, interests and problems. Our best chance to make Equestria the same as it was before is to help eachother out. If you see somepony in need, lend a hoof if you can. In the end your life is what you make it, and in the wasteland you never know what that really means until it’s over.

        While I was reading Night Wish had slowly started to move closer until she was craning over me. “What a peculiar book.” She says, practically hovering over me at this point.

        Thud!

        I glance down at the dazed pile of decaying skin. “Oh, Sunshine honey.” I say. The little thing must have fallen off while I was trying not to get suffocated by Night wish.

He shakes his head, looking around blankly. “Momma?” He asks, trying to find her. A whimper escapes the colt as I lift him with my magic and cradle his shivering form between my wings. He cries into my mane, but I am able to calm him down quickly, and he falls into a fragile sleep again within a few moments.

        I glance back to Night Wish to find that she has stolen my book away and is quickly reading her way through the second chapter. “You like to read?” I ask, trying to spark any conversation I can.

        “Certainly. I have loved reading for as long as I can remember.” She speaks as if she is extremely distracted, with large periods between each word as she absorbs the book.

       My ears perk up. That was the most information I have been able to get out of her since she had started to accompany my. “Is that so? What is your favorite type of book?” I ask, trying to get as much information out of her while she is distracted.

       “Favorite type? I like them all equally, as long as they supply knowledge, and this one certainly has a lot of it! Listen to this: ‘The Verabump of western Equestria’s marshes has a particular smell that can only be identified with a blueberry in your mouth.’ Isn’t that interesting?” Night Wish speaks with more enthusiasm than I had ever heard from her before. Hay, she has more emotion in her than I thought she would ever show.

       “Really now?” I ask, smirk played across my face.

       “Yes, really.” She says, looking towards me with confusion. “Why would I lie about such a thing? Here, read it yourself.       ”She floats the book in front of me and highlights an area of the text with her magic.

       “That was rhetorical, Night Wish.” I say, pushing the book away with a reluctant giggle. I look up from the book to find myself staring into a wall. A few more paces and I would have walked face first into it without noticing. The wall is made wood and stretches in both directions, more like fence than anything, with barbed wire at the top. We had already made it to the town, it seems. A question pops into the back of my head but I give it little thought.

       Why does a town in the middle of nowhere need a fence around it?

       I check to make sure Sunshine won’t fall off, then I jump into the air, flapping my wings twice so that I propel myself to the other side. I attempt to set down, but stop myself before I land on a pile of barbed wire lines the ground. The thorn wire stretches from the fence to the ground, than for another six feet before finally stopping, seeming to be keeping things from leaving instead of keeping overs out. I set down lightly, Night Wish following close behind. I trace the length of the fence, trying to find a break in the barbed wire, but I am unable to find anything. No gate, no door, no exit. My mane prickles.

       We should leave, I think to myself as my eyes slowly droop from exhaustion. The day had been long and filled with heart pounding excitement. I don’t have the energy to wander around outside for another three hours looking for someplace to sleep. “At least we know that nopony can sneak up on us.” I say optimistically.

       The town is small, nothing more than two rows of buildings across from each other until they intersect with another set, creating an X with a stage in the center. The buildings look old, not exactly from how old they are, but from what they are made of. They remind me of the settler towns that were built before the war when Equestria was still expanding its borders, and all ponies could use to build their houses was the trees around them. The streets are barren, a ghost town if I have ever seen one, with each building in disrepair.

        We walk to the first structure on our left. It stands two stories high and is made of wood. The sign on the front reads "Sandy’s Saloon". I push the door open but it fights back, reluctant to budge. After a few more shoves I am able to pry it open, making a hole big enough for Sunshine and I. The little thing is still sleeping on my back as I trot into the main room of the building. The front door had been barricaded with tables and chairs. The windows are boarded shut and more things piled behind them to keep anything out. Inside there is a large countertop for the bartender. On the shelf behind it empty bottles line the wall along with glasses of every size. All of the room’s furniture is placed against the front wall making the room feel a lot larger than it normally would. The bar takes up the entire back wall, but a staircase leads to an open balcony above it that looks down at the main room.

       The building looks surprisingly intact, no holes in the walls or planks falling from the ceiling. There are signs and posters pinned to a board about notices and bounties. Wanted and missing pony signs alike. The look of the place would make me think that somepony could be living here right now, but it is the smell that deters the thought. Rot, dust and forgotten times.

       "Night Wish?" I call outside, pushing some of the tables away from the door so she can squeeze inside.

       "Yes Cadence?" The alicorn asks, stepping inside with ease. Everything this mare does seems so poised and purposeful, almost with as much grace as Celestia herself. I place a table back against the door when she is inside, making sure that nopony can get inside easily.

       "Can you check the rest of the building for me? I want to find a good place for Sunshine to sleep." I ask, moving to the bar on the other side of the room.

       She nods, then crosses the room and walks up the steps to the floor above. I get a glimpse of her checking inside one of the doors as I walk behind the counter, looking for someplace to set Sunshine down until I can find somewhere better. I come across a pile of towels and cloth underneath the counter. The bartender must have either needed to clean a large amount of glasses, or they really wanted to look like they were busy. I lay out the majority of them into a small heap, then place the colt on them. He wiggles around trying to get into a good position, then nods off with a sigh. I smile at him. After making sure he is comfortable I head upstairs. Night Wish is in the farthest right room so I enter the one on the other end.

       The inside looks like a normal bedroom, only a little barren of furniture. There is a bed on the far side underneath a boarded up window and a small table sitting next to it. I walk over to the bed, testing it with a hoof. The sheets are clean, if a little dusty, and the bed is firm. A little too firm for my taste, but I gladly lay down on it. Oh Celestia this feel great. I stretch out my aching muscles and bury my face into the dusty pillow, smiling at the small comfort the bed gives me.

       I sit there for another minute, enjoying the amazingly sensual sensation of the bed, then grudgingly rouse myself to go downstairs again to grab the napping colt. Something catches my eye as I stand up and rub the dust off of my coat. A note is hanging from the bottom of the desk, only the edge of it visible. I reach over and pull it away, a little piece of petrified gum coming along with it.

       It reads:

       Sandy Summers,

       I have been informed of your interest in our plan. It is regrettable that it has come to this, but the guards have gone too far. Jasmine was a good pony and when they took her away from us it was the last straw. Come to Light Weight's store at midnight tomorrow, we will be meeting then. We can't allow ourselves to be pushed around any longer.

       Get rid of this note as soon as you can.

        -Ruby Haze

        What happened in this place? I ask myself as I reread the slip of paper. I look around the room, searching for more notes or clues to what happened to the town but I find nothing other than a healing potion hidden underneath the pillow. I smile at the new addition to my growing medical supplies, but without knowing where Light Weight lives I won’t be able to find anything else out.

        I start to make my way back to Sunshine but the door opens before I go to reach for it. Nightwish peeks her head inside. Goddess, she says into my head.

        “Please don’t do that.” I say to the purple alicorn with a cringe.

        “Yes Goddess.” She says. “But I don’t understand why we must speak like this. It is much easier to speak like we normally do.”

        I yawn as I move past her and onto the balcony, then make my way to the stairs. Exhaustion drags me down as I slowly descend to the bar floor, and I nearly trip from the lack of light in the room. “It feels... weird.” I say. Like you are a part of my thoughts, I think to myself. “What did you find?”

        Night Wish follows close behind, guarding over me. “Nopony is in the building with us. Is there anything else you wish of me goddess?”

        “No,” I say, taking a step away from her, “you can go to sleep if you want.” I take another step towards the bar, then turn around to see she is still on the steps watching over me. “Thank you for staying with me.” I say, then I quietly cross the room.

        I walk over to the pile of cloth I set out for Sunshine, making sure not to wake the sleeping colt, but he isn’t among the pile. My heart skips a beat. I search around the counter with increasing dread. “Sunshine?” I call out, not expecting an answer.

        After a moment I hear a faint crying coming from below me. I search the floor and find a staircase set that leads to a cellar at the far end of the bar that was previously covered with boards. I glance down into the blackness and the sound increases.

        I trot down the steps into the dark cellar, lighting my horn as I reach the bottom. The crying stops as the light spreads throughout the room revealing barrels that line the walls and a small, burnt pony staring at me as I walk towards him. His eyes shine when my light connects with them, creating two pink beacons in a room of blue. Sunshine sniffles when he recognizes me, then bursts into tears again. “Shhh, hush now.” I coo, wrapping him in my hooves and covering him with my wings like a blanket. He shakes and shivers with each sob, his face pressed against my chest to muffle his cries. The small thing is chilled to the bone. “It’s okay Sunshine, I’ve got you. We have to stay strong, okay?”

        His cries continue for a few more minutes, clinging to me and anchoring himself to the world, but he is able to calm himself down with what seems like an inequine amount of willpower. “How about we go upstairs and get some sleep?” I ask with a smile. He squeaks an agreement and I can feel him nod his head before he pulls away. I lay down and motion for him to hop onto my back but he walks around me and heads up the stairs slowly, his head hung low and sniffles escaping him every other step.

        I watch him slowly trotting up until he leaves my sight. I let out a cry that has been building in my chest all night. The poor colt had his family taken away from him, and all I can do is give him a shoulder to cry on and lie that everything will be alright.

        I allow myself one question, one proclamation of doubt about Long John, before I hush my thoughts.

How could you do this to your child?

        I wipe my face, then quickly trot after Sunshine.

))))((((

        I wake up abruptly, my husbands name on my tongue ready to be shouted to the world in desperate longing before I realize where I am. I stand up quietly from the ground, making sure not to wake Sunshine who is sleeping on the bed next to me. He had insisted in having his own room at first, but when I checked up on him later after hearing him crying from the other room he seemed to not want me to leave. Another night spent sleeping on the hard floor, but I couldn’t find the heart to leave Sunshine’s room, even after he had fallen asleep.

        I look over at the sleeping colt, his head covered by the pillow that muffles his snoring, then glance towards the window. The cracks between the boards don’t reveal any light. Still night I presume.

        I stumble my way to the room next door where I kept my bag, then head downstairs. I hit my leg on the railing while trying to move around in the dark, my mind too fuzzy to consider lighting my path. My limbs crack with every movement and when I sit down next to the bar my spine pops in three different places. Sleeping on hard wood every night is taking its toll on me.

        I set my bag down on the counter and float out a box of cereal as the morning breeze  slithers its way through the building’s cracks. Minutes pass and the cereal disappears one bite at a time, but morning light doesn’t seem to show itself. I walk over to the front door and peer towards the sky. Purple giants snake their way around like smoke on the ceiling. Tendrils break apart to form their own disfigured beasts, then collide with others to create a new creatures. The view is beautiful and helps take my mind off each of my aching joints, but I grow tired of it quickly and my mind wanders.

        How much has the world changed? I can trot for miles and not find a single soul, but in old equestria the world seemed to be brimming with ponies. Days could pass in the blink of an eye when there were things to be done at every minute, and now that all I can do to pass the time is think it seems to crawl at an agonizingly slow pace. My mind returns to Shining Armor screaming at me in his decayed state. His eyes filled with so much pain. The determination in his voice to keep me safe.

        (200 years), a voice in my head whispers, (200 years and where is your beloved Shining Armor? He left you.) I cringe at the words that burrow their way into my head. (He’s dead. He’s dead and you’re alone again. Alone in another cruel world that wants to tear you apart. Just a little more literal this time.)

        I rouse myself and turn away from the window. I decide to walk to my bag, hoping to find something to distract my hostile mind. I bring out a gossip magazine and lose myself in ponies long dead. I am able to distract myself with it for a good minute before I find an article about myself. It’s an obviously fake article about how I had been cheating with Shining with one of his own officers.

        (Just a little more literal this time.)

        I slam the magazine on the ground in fumes and stomp towards the door, hoping to get some fresh air to calm myself.

))))((((

        I stand in front of one of the identical wooden buildings near the middle of town. Each of the structures near the center are stores with signs on the front that have the owners name and occupation on them in a catchy way; “Rumbles Rabble House” on the right and “Tronto’s traders” on the other side of it. The sign that I am staring at reads “Light Weight’s Leather Barding,” the same name from the note I had read yesterday night.

        The idea of walking into a store that sells animal skin isn’t very appealing, but I think back to the Wasteland Survival Guide me and Night Wish had read yesterday (Or was it still today?) and what it had said on protection. I walk over to the door and attempt to nudge it open, however it doesn’t move an inch. I give it another shove to see if it is stuck but it still doesn’t budge. I ignite my horn and feel around the other side of the door, but I can’t tell what is blocking it, nor can I move it. In frustration I give the door a shove, putting all of my weight into it. I ricochet off of the the solid wood, my head spinning as I fall onto my haunches. There is a resounding Crash! from the other side that echoes throughout the town and shakes the building's foundation. I cringe as the earth shakes beneath me, then glance at the building to make sure I hadn’t split it apart. Once I am sure that there is no structural damage I try the door again, and it opens inward with ease. Giving a small, reluctant smile I trot inside.

        The bang had been from a shelf that was propped up against the door that now lays flat along the ground. The floor around the shelf is cracked like spider webs and a clothing rack is crushed beneath it. I step around the edge of the bookshelf gingerly, trying not to cause any more damage to the building.

        The layout is similar to a normal clothing store, with racks of everyday clothing spaced evenly throughout, though there is not much to choose from. The back of the store has a counter with a rusted register placed neatly where a pony could stand and help out customers. Behind that on the wall are sets of leather barding in every size, some small enough to fit a child.  The idea of a small colt or filly needing a set of armor strikes me as odd, but after I think back to the mad rush we had through Canterlot, protection for a child seems almost necessary. I think about Sunshine, still asleep back in the saloon and find a set of barding that might fit him. The fact that I am looting is hardly appealing, but we hadn’t seen anypony in the town since we had first arrived and I would rather take a hit to my morality than have Sunshine take a bite to the neck. The colt is going to need as much help as possible if he is going to be under my care.

        I pick one of the leather suits from the wall and place it next to my bag, then look for one for Night Wish and myself. I doubt they would have anything in the formers size, but I chance a look anyway.

        As I pull down and try on a set of armor I start to wonder why long John hadn’t given Sunshine a set earlier. She had seemed so protective of the colt when it came to traveling the city, why not give him something to protect himself?

        I find a suit that fits me and stand in front of a mirror that is on the wall, wiping dust away to reveal a mare that looks nothing like myself.

        My mane is an utter disaster, and my coat is ruined. Both of them have spots burnt off or dirtied by mud and dust. I haven't taken a shower since I had left with Shining the day the Balefire bombs dropped, so anything that had gotten on my in the past few days has been on the entire time. The thought of not having taken a shower in over 200 years makes me laugh.

       The barding is a full body suit made of leather (Made from other animals!), a rough textured material that clings to the skin and easily stretched to take the form of my body. It covers my torso and legs, leaving nothing but my head, hooves and tails exposed. The suit doesn’t have holes for my wings, so I have to cram them inside with me, making two large humps in either side of my back that are easily covered up by my saddlebags. Though the material stretches easily, it is thick. I could see myself easily taking a buck to the side without having so much as the breath being knocked out of me.

        The sight is odd, but invigorating. I look so strong in the barding, so capable, and maybe even a little bit intimidating. I smile as I walk back to the counter and retrieve my bag along with Sunshine’s and Night Wish’s barding. I doubt either of them will fit, but we can easily come back and find some that do if we need to.

        As I start to walk back to the door I think back to the note and the reason I entered the store in the first place. I try to convince myself to wander around the store, looking for clues about what had happened here, but no, I can see light outside and Sunshine will be awake at any moment. I move back towards the door, floating the barding into my saddle bag when -

Crack.

        “Wha-” I begin to say.

        CRACK!

        The floor drops out from under me, and I fall into the darkness below.

))))((((

Oh Celestia the pain.

        My right foreleg pulsates molten iron with each beat of my heart. Every nerve screaming with me in agony. I try to light up my surroundings but my horn flares for an instant -Red Everywhere. Red and Running- before my concentration snaps and the light goes out.

        I see enough. Too much. I close my eyes and cry out in pain, scream, roar.

        The utter torment of it!

Everything darkens again.

----

        My eyes are red and my vision black. When I come back again the pain has barely subsided. I glance around numbly and see how much blood there really is. MY leg is-

        Bile forces its way through my throat and I vomit onto the cement floor from the sight.

        It’s Impaled on a metal pole, meat and bone displayed to the open air like a pillar of flesh.  I stare at the discordant sight, and when my brain finally registers that it is Me on that pole, My leg, the pain hits me again.

       “Aghahhahhh!!”

))))((((

        I wake up again. Cold, so cold. I can’t feel my leg. Every joint in my body cries out. The hole in the ceiling pours light onto my pitiful scene.

        I lift my head weakly and glance around, confused about where I am, but within a moment I see the pole with my leg unnaturally wrapped around it and the grueling details of my situation return to my barely conscious mind.

        My vision is surprisingly crisp. I can see each individual fracture in the bone that protrudes from the flesh. Each split in the skin as it is torn apart and its foundation ripped to ribbons of beautifully tragic red. My mind comprehends what has happened and I understand what it means to me, but I am numb to the sight.

        I have no feeling in my body, even as it cries out to me.

        I turn my head and look to the rest of my body as it lays on the trails of crimson. I don’t have anymore major injuries, but my saddle bag had come loose when I fell and slid away from me on impact. My horn sparks for a moment, encircling the bag with cyan fog, then dies out.

        I stretch my back leg out trying to reach for the bag, but I am positioned incorrectly and unable to reach it. The only way I could be able to get to my bag would be to pull my hoof off of the pole. The idea makes me shiver, even in my numbed state. The edges of my eyes are slowly darkening and my limbs are growing heavy. I feel so tired.

The world is gray, all color sucked out of it along with my strength, with only my blood staying the same in hue. It’s brilliance in the light streaming in from above is enough to make me wince.

        My mind begins to drift through my memories, bringing me back to when I was much younger. I think back to my earliest, running through a field of flowers of every color that seems to go for miles on end. The thought has always brought me peace of mind, but now it has been tainted. All of the flowers are roses, a beautiful and terrible red blazing across the earth. I trot through them, heading towards the west with two young fouls on my back. The thorns of the roses shred through my coat, drawing blood as I walk. I notice the pain, but still continue on until my entire body is the same destructive red as the world around me. The children on my back, one disfigured and burnt and the other a violet beauty, are coated in my own sin within moments along with their own, but they never seem to notice. They blindly hold onto my back in hopes that I know where to take them. The distance holds a sight of pure brilliance, my beloved's eyes watching me like stars. The sun and moon frown at me as I bleed. I feel them reach for me, asking me to join them in the sky, but I push forward nonetheless. Shining Armor waits for me just ahead. Only a little more!

        I pull with all of my strength. The sound of bone grinding on metal resonates through my body and a wet Slick! echos through the room.

        Why? is the only word I can ask myself as I scream with new understanding of the word agony.

        With the force of my pull, my body is lifted from the floor. I land on the bloody stump of my hoof, crushing bone fragments into flesh. I fall down on my side. I can’t see anything other than red and streaks of white. Dark splotches cloud my vision once I hit the ground, then they burn outwards like old film tearing apart. I feel myself slipping out of consciousness, but I fight it and force myself to look around with heavy eyes.

        With a sigh of relief I notice that my bag is next to me. I force my arm into the pouch that holds the healing potions. I am somehow able to wiggle one out with my shaking hoof and get the top off. The grape flavor overtakes my thoughts, but I am able to force it down. Warmth fills my body. The feeling is so relieving as it slowly descends from my head to my stomach, then out through my torso. Every nerve is calmed as it slowly descends my limbs. The warmth tickles my right forehoof, and once it reaches the point that had been damaged-

       In an instant the pain comes back. It feels like the bone is being pulled from my leg.

        With the healing potion clearing my head I realize my error. These potions fix broken bones and mend torn flesh, yes, but only if they are in the right position. If a bone is out of place when you drink the magic tonic it will grow an attachment to the bone that connects it to the other, creating terrible deformities. I remember seeing instants of this with war veterans that had been treated by incompetent or unskilled medics on the field. It could be fixed after, but the pain of the event had left most of them scarred for life.

        I look down at my arm in horror, thinking as quickly as I can. A thought pops into my head that makes my stomach turn.

        I prop my hoof up against my bag, racing against time as the skin starts to repair itself before my eyes. I reach over with my other hoof, positioning it against the bone. Tears line my eyes in preparation for the new agony that I am about to inflict on myself. “You have this,” my mind tells me in Shining Armors reassuring voice, “Think of what we used to tell Twilley when it came to needles. ‘It will only hurt for a moment, then it will be over.’”

        I push down with all of my force.

))))((((

        “Hey!” A voice says over me. I feel a poke in my side and my eyes flutter open.

Twilight stands against the harsh midday sun, her purple figure blocking Celestia’s brilliance. I am looking up at her from the bed of grass I had been napping on, my head pressed against the book I was reading before I fell asleep. We are in the castle pavilion and little twilight jumps around me in excitement. “Cadence! Cadence! You’ll never guess who’s coming back!” She shrieks with joy.

       I smile up at the bouncing pony, rubbing my eye with a lazy hoof. I hadn’t seen her this excited since I had gotten her into the castle library. “Calm down Twilight! You don’t need to scream into my ear.” I say with a giggle. “Now what is it, you silly filly.” I tease.

       “He is here! He’s coming back home!” Twilight says. “I haven't seen him in forever, and now we can read books together, and go eat ice cream, and even go jump in the fountain again like we did before! Oh, and you can meet him too Cadence!”

        I raise an eyebrow at her. “Who is ‘he’?” I ask.

        “My Big brother best friend forever, that’s who! Shining Armor is coming back from school!” She exclaims, jumping around me in circles again.

        “You have a brother?” I asked, genuinely surprised. Twilight had always acted like an only child, but I guess I had never asked, even in the half a year I had been her foal sitter.

        “Yeah!” The little filly exclaims. “And he is going to be here any minute now, so common!” She pulls me up by the hoof, dragging me out of the pavilion and into the streets of Canterlot.

        I follow close behind as she weaves between wagons, snooty ponies and guards. I whisper apologies to everypony I bump into as I chase after the foal. We make it to the carriage station in record time. Twilight jumping up and down by her parents trying to get their attention as I collapse on a nearby bench, breathing in as much air as my burning lungs can take in. I am able to pick up small tidbits of what Star Sparkle, her mother, says as she talks to the foal. “Only a bit longer,” and “carriage is on the way.”

        Once I am finally able to catch my breath I join Twilight and her parent as a large caravan pulls up with Canterlot guard crests on the side of each cart. Young bucks pour out of each carriage and to waiting families. I follow Twilight's eyes as she scans the crowd. She shrieks once she sees him, a tall, white coat buck with blue hair as deep as the ocean, with streaks as bright as the sky. I gasp and take a step back as the filly to my side rushes towards him. “Shining!” She yells, burying herself into her brothers chest with a hug that would break bones to someone less muscular. He smiles, teeth white as a midday cloud.

        “Twilley!” He shouts. He hugs her, then lifts her onto his back, walking over to his parents and me as his little sister talks his ear off.

        His parents meet him half way, then each give him a hug in turn. “Hey Shining Armor,” his father says as he gives his son a hug like a bear. “Long time no see, champ.”

        “You too dad,” he says, then leans over to his mother and gives her a delicate hug as well. “Hey mom.”

        Twilight continues to talk on his back about books she had read, what she had found that day or what she had eaten for breakfast.

        “Hey honey,” Star Sparkle says sweetly as she hugs him back. She turns to her daughter, “Hush now, Twilight. Shining will be staying for the next two months, you will have plenty of time to talk then. For now, lets get you home, I am sure you have had a long trip, dear.”

        “Yeah, you know it.” Shining says as he stretches.

        “Oh, oh, oh!” Twilight yells, getting an eye from her mother. “He has to meet Cadence! I brought her here with me so you could meet her!”

        My eyes widen as I realize she is talking about me.

        “Cadence?” Shining Armor asks.

        “Yeah! She is my friend. She is super nice, and always ready to play, and she reads to me all the time!” She turns her head towards me, then yells. “Cadence! come here! You have to meet my brother!”

        Their attention turns to me and my face slowly starts to turn a color of deep red. I look towards the ground and my hair falls in front of my eyes, shielding me from their gaze.

        I can’t go over there! I think to myself. He’s too... too...

        “Hi.” Shining says as he walks closer to me, smiling his soon to be beloved smile.

        Cute. My mind finishes as I stare up at him in shock.

))))((((

        I feel a poke in my side that raises me from the murky depths of unconsciousness. I push the offending hoof away, reluctant to open my eyes and leave the comforting enclosure of my dream. “Not now Twilight.” I say with a sigh.

        “Stop it little one.” A mares voice says next to me. It sounds as smooth as silk and reminds me of Luna’s, but my mind realizes the difference between the voices as she speaks again. “Let our goddess rest.”

        I open my eyes and see the water stained ceiling of my room in the saloon. My head feels light and my tether to consciousness thin, but I force myself to stay awake.

        I now realize that I am sitting on something much more comfortable than the cement floor I was on last time I was conscious, almost like I am laying on a cloud. I glance down to figure out what I am sleeping on and find a hoof extended in preparation for a good poke. Sunshine is to my right with a concerned yet curious expression, and the moment he sees me looking at him he retracts his hoof in a flash, replacing his expression with a completely innocent “I-didn’t-do-anything-at-all” sort of look. I smile down at the silly colt, reaching my hoof over to give into my sudden need to boop him on the nose, only to scream in pain as my hoof explodes with pain.

        Night Wish appears out of nowhere on my right, touching her horn to my own. Without a moments notice my pain disappears.

        I open my cringing eyes, scared to test my body again, and see Night Wish shaking as she stands next to me. The purple is barely able to hold herself up, but she is still able to smile down at me. “Did you just..” I start to say, unable to finish the sentence. Did she just take my pain away?

        “Yes.” She says, still smiling down at me. After a moment her shaking stops and she attempts to back away, but I reach my good arm out to her. I stroke her cheek softly, unable to express the gratitude I have.

        “How did you find me?” I ask once words finally seem to come back to me.

        Night Wish gives me a confused look, then answers. “You called for me like you always have.”

        The answer isn’t what I expected, but I bring her in with my good hoof and hug her tightly, whispering thank you’s and every bit of appreciation I have for her. “I thought I was going to die.” I say to her to her in a hushed tone. The realization only now hits me that what I said was true. I was certain that those terrible moments in the basement were going to be my last.

        The alicorn stands awkwardly as I cling to her, only to kneel down into a strenuous half crouch so that I don’t have to stretch. I let her go after a few moments and lay back down again on my own personal cloud. I glance over at Sunshine, his eyes wide as he looks up at me. He must be confused after I started screaming bloody murder out of nowhere, so I boop him on the nose like I previously tried.

        I rest my head back, letting my eyelids slowly fall in on themselves before I am fast asleep.

        In the dreams that follow I return to the those fields of roses I had previously visited. I am still trudging along the treacherous path, but the foals on my back are awake now, and grown up to help me along the way. They pick me up when I fall and I shield them from any particularly harsh patches of bramble. Together we march down the path I set forth for us, against the tide of the earths beauty and away from the loving arms of the Sun and the Moon.

        Towards my Shining Armor.

*   *   *   *   *

Footnote - Level up! Level 5 reached!

        New perk - The pain of loneliness - Whenever you are alone or out of your party you gain +50% damage reduction when your health drops below 5%. All damaged reduced during this time will be ignored until you are out of combat, in which it is then doubled! You may survive, but what is survival without friendship?

((For the original story of Fallout Equestria please go to http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/04/story-fallout-equestria.html written by katt. It is an amazing story.

As always, if you have any comments or critiques post them in the comments below or send me a personal message. I write to improve, so if you liked the story, or hated it, please tell me why.))

((Extra special shoutout to my friend ships Jeeeeemy and courtney, two very awesome friends who are way too awesome for someone as silly of a goose as me. Thank you guys!))