Identity.

Who you are. How others see you. Losing your identity is like losing yourself.

Whisper had once tried to explain that most Laughingstocks created a new identity for themselves when they joined. He said it had something to do with losing who you were when you became affected by Killing Joke. I didn’t really understand it at the time.

Looking in my own eyes-No. Looking into the eyes of my brother, I realized what he meant. Volt had lost his identity. Many of the Laughingstocks had lost who they were, whether is be physically like Stoneface, or mentally like Smile. They weren’t the pony they once were, they became something else when they were cursed by the plant.

We both stood in silence for a few minutes. Razor interrupted the silence.

“So...Are you two twins or something?” she asked. The look I shot her answered her question. “Sorry.”

“No, what I am is not a twin,” began Volt. “What I am is a reflection, an image cast by my own admiration for my dear sibling, brought about by a chance encounter with the cruel flora that is Killing Joke.” The hell? When did he become so eloquent?

“Uhm, what?” asked Razor, clearly confused by the speech.

Volt simply sighed. “I always admired Live Wire, so Killing Joke made me look like him. Screwed up my head some too.” Clearly. “I honestly don’t know what I am saying half the time.” I am not sure whether or not I should take offense to that.

“How did this happen?” I asked. Razor had said that killing joke was only found in some isolated areas, such as the Everfree forest to the north. She said that there was none on the path we took.

“You may wish to take a seat, for the tale I am about to recount will take time to accurately portray. It began upon the day I had ventured out of my stable and into the treacherous location known simply as the wasteland,” he began

“Short version please?” asked Pin.

“Okay. I left the stable with a small group of ponies, we went south like the voice told me to, and we unfortunately stumbled upon an area that had Killing Joke.” Voice?

“Wait, I thought that Killing Joke could only grow in places like the Everfree forest,” interjected Needles.

“Smile, our gracious host and leader, has affirmed that this is a mutant version of the Killing Joke that many wastelanders, such as those of you who accompany my younger brother, know of. It has adapted to the harsh terrain of the wasteland, bringing with it the sorrow of its curse, spreading to many unfortunate wanders such as I.” He stopped for a second. “He also said it was much tougher to cure, so he spends all the spare caps that the Laughingstocks earn into finding a cure. So there’s hope I can regain my dashing good looks and my natural charm.” And there was the old Volt.

“So what is with the new name?” I asked.

“I dunno. Some funny thing that Smile came up with. I just prefer ponies call me by my real name. All these new names make me confused.”

“No, I mean, why Shock Treatment?”

“Ah, now I see the real meaning of your inquiry. The spell that we both learned in the Stable, the one that creates an electrical shock, I have managed to find a way to weaponize it, an innovation resulting from a desperate attempt at defending myself from a group of ruffians you all address as raiders.”

“So you shoot lightning bolts?” asked Pin. “Doesn’t seem that special. This dumbass took out a Steel Ranger with one just the other day.” Hey!

“Huh. I didn’t even think to use the spell that way until after I was changed,” he mused.

“What happened to the rest of the group?” I asked.

“Ah, tis a tragedy of the utmost degree. For you see, while my encounter was less capital, many of the others met a terrible demise that I hesitate to recount.” He paused. “Flange is okay though, but now he goes by Clockwork. The Joke made his insides mechanical. Really hurts from what I have heard.” I caught Needles lower his head some.

I turned to my companions. “Could you give us a minute to talk in private?” I asked them. The two medics and the ex-bandit left, but the young colt stayed at the door. “Uhm, please go.”

“Wouldn’t really matter anyway. I would still hear it from either you or him.”

“Fine,” I sighed.

“Oh, you hear him too?” Volt said, a little surprised.

“Yeah.”

“I swear, my brain has been like a meeting place for all these different ponies. I don’t mind though, makes me feel popular,” he said with a smile that had a hint of his old cheer.

“Wait, you mean you have been hearing many voices?” I asked him.

“Indeed. The events leading to our departure were driven by the voices.” Sweet Celestia, my brother was crazier than I thought. “Do not worry, for I still retain my sanity. These voices are ones that you have surely heard as well.”

“I have only heard Whisper,” I answered.

“Really? Not even in your sleep?” he asked with a frown.

“Wait, I have been hearing voices in my dreams, though I thought they were just random dreams.”

“I thought so too, until I began to actually listen to them.” His smile returned some. “They compelled me to investigate the personal terminal of our corrupt leader. I discovered a fact that verified what the voices said to me were true.”

“And what was that?” I asked.

“She planned to kill us both.”

Dead Volt told me everything that had happened in the days leading up to him destroying the generator.

“It started a few days before I left. At first, I thought they were just strange dreams, but they were clearer, I could feel any pain I experienced in them, I could see, hear, and feel everything like I was there. And then the voices started. At first, it was just a single voice, compelling me to leave the Stable. I already wanted to leave the Stable, so I thought it was just my subconscious bringing a voice to these desires. But then I started hearing the voice while I was awake. Then I began listening to what it tried to tell me. It said I needed to hack into the Overmare’s terminal, that there was something I needed to discover. I was able to ascertain that our corrupt leader plotted to dispose of us, along with about a dozen other ponies, through her personal recordings. She really was an arrogant pony. I downloaded the recordings onto my PipBuck and managed to flee without anypony finding me. I showed the message to the ponies that she planned to have killed, most of which were maintenance. We plotted to have our schedules altered so that we were on the same shift. I am still unsure how, but I managed to learn the anesthetic spell because of the voice. I used it to knock out the ponies who would not aid us. We destroyed the generator and removed the gems, and then managed to slip into the crowd that came rushing to investigate.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you,” I said.

“No, you wouldn’t have. You would have convinced me that I was crazy for listening to a voice in my head, and talked me out of it.” I couldn’t deny that I wouldn’t have done that. He sighed as he looked at me. “I know I should have spoke to you, gave you a reason for me doing this. I couldn’t. There wasn’t enough time to convince you, and my group needed to leave before the Overmare knew what was going on. The voice provided a solution that seemed to work out in the end, to knock you out.”

“How could you do that to me? I could have been killed by the Overmare or her lackeys!” I shouted. “What if that voice had been wrong? What if all you managed to do was kill the Stable? How could you value some voice in your head over your home, over everypony you knew, over me?”

“Because it was right!” he shouted in return. “For the voice in my head spoke words that rang true, for the voice in my head saved me, saved you, saved the entire Stable from the suffering brought about by the wicked tyrant that is the Overmare!”

“Then why not just kill the Overmare?”

“The voice said it was not my role to kill her, that I was simply a catalyst for the desired reaction!” If Volt leaving the Stable wasn’t the desired reaction, what was?

“And what about the Stable? Are you just going to leave them to die?”

“Provisions have been made with a select few that opted to remain behind. They will lead the inhabitants of the Stable to the north, where they will encounter various civil settlements into which many will likely be accepted. The voice said that this was the best way to keep casualties to a minimum.” He paused for a second. “The Stable is already dead. It was dead the moment the door opened. There is no Stable 7 anymore. The ponies that once lived there will be forced into the wasteland, where they will either adapt or they will perish.”

“How could you do this?”

“Our Stable was doomed the moment Golden Sceptre became Overmare. The ponies in the Stable were too afraid to do anything, and she would have done something that would have eventually killed us all. I gave us a chance of survival.”

We both stood silent for a few seconds, though it seemed more like hours. Whisper stood next to the door, unmoving. All of a sudden, he cringed in pain, letting out a mental yelp heard by both of us.
“Smile...wants to see you now,” he groaned in our heads

“Are you okay?” I asked out loud, though it was redundant.

“Yes. Listening to Smile is sometimes...unpleasant.”

My PipBuck gave a beep, though I already knew it updated that I had met with Shock Treatment, and that I had found Volt.

I was a bit shocked to see that the metal doors in between the stairs in the lobby actually led to a working elevator. One of the Laughingstocks that was accompanying me to the top tried to explain how much work it took to get it working again, but I was still wary of wasteland technology.

Only three ponies were in the elevators. Myself, Whisper, and another Laughingstock. The mare seemed amiable enough, though for some reason she wore a lot of clothing and wrappings. She wore a duster that bore the mark of a flower, a black rose with a few of the petals having been scattered below it. Her eyes were concealed by a pair of thick welding goggles. Her entire face was obscured by bandages and gauze. She looked like she was the victim of very severe burns. I couldn’t tell what she was, as her duster could conceal wings, and the hat atop her head could possibly conceal a horn. Her entire identity was a mystery.

She seemed to catch me staring at her, trying to understand the strange attire. “Sorry if I appear a little strange. This look tends to grab attention, but at least it is better than the alternative,” she said with a hint of sadness in her tone.

“Oh come now, how bad could it be?” I asked, trying to comfort the mare some.

“It is pretty bad. But if you really want to see, or rather not see,” she said.

Somehow, the gauze managed to unwrap, slowly though. It hovered there, as if it were held by unicorn magic, though there was no glow around it. The gauze looped around her head a few times before it finally revealed the mare’s face. Or it would have if it was there.

I stared at the forming holes in the coverings. I saw through to the back of the coverings. There was nothing inside the bandaged shell. Or at least that was what it appeared.

“My name is Ghost,” she spoke as the wrappings continued to unwind. “And I am invisible.”

“Wow,” was all I could say, though judging by the movement of the gauze that still covered parts of her face, that wasn’t the best thing to say. “I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized.

“It’s okay,” she said calmly. “Lots of ponies initially think it is something interesting, but it is hard to deal with when you must wear all these coverings if you want to be seen.” She still seemed a little offended by my remark.

“Smooth,” chimed the colt’s voice in my head.

“Hey, shut up!” I said turning to the colt. Ghost was obviously not one of the ponies that could hear him. She smiled half heartedly though, as she at least knew about Whisper’s ability.

The elevator finally dinged, and I quickly exited it. The room I was in was similar to the lobby in terms of decoration, but it was much smaller, only having one desk in front of a large door.

“Smile’s room is through there,” said the transparent pony next to me, pointing at the large door. She walked ahead of me and knocked on the door. “Hey Smile, the new guy is here to meet with you!” Was I the new guy? I wasn’t really one for joining sides. She turned to me. “Just go on in.” The door opened with her clear colored magic.

I entered the room, Whisper followed after me. The mare stayed outside. The inside of the room was decorated in the style that seemed dominant in Circus. Colorfully painted walls, vast amounts of balloons and streamers, the floor seemed to predominantly use the color red. No wait, that was dried blood. Lots of it.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” I heard a voice say in a chuckle. I looked up from the blood caked floor to see an earth pony sitting behind a large desk, his coat was mixed with various colors, similar to my drunken mishap, although I could tell that his coat was originally white. His mane was also mixed with colors, the original was indistinguishable. His eyes were mismatched, one was blood red, the other was pure white. He had a grin on his face that seemed to never cease, even when he spoke. “I am Glasgow Smile, but you can just call me Smile.”

“Hello, my name is Live Wire,” I responded.

He only laughed some more. “Oh, I know who you are. I know a lot about you.” His smile was starting to creep me out. “You see, I have eyes all over the wasteland, although I only have two here. Only one works though.” He laughed at his attempt at comedy. I hesitantly chuckled as well. “You have earned quite a reputation in Circus. You took out Jackhammer’s raider group. I can not express the joy you brought me when you put a bullet in that Delta bastard’s skull.” He started laughing again. “And then you managed to save Whisper from another band of raiders? You have proven to be able to handle yourself quite well.” He roared with laughter for about a minute. I looked over at Whisper.

“It isn’t by his own choice,” was all I heard in my head.

The pony stopped laughing, or rather, he reduced the laughing to a light chuckle. “So, what are your plans?” he asked in between giggles.

“What do you mean?” I questioned.

“I mean, you fought through several raider camps, and even a few rangers in order to get here. You heard what Shock had to say. What I am wondering is what you are planning to do now.”

I thought for a minute. I hadn’t actually considered what I was going to do after finding Volt. I had assumed that I would be able to either talk him into giving me back the gems so that the Stable could be fixed, or I would just take them from him. Now, that wasn’t an option apparently. I had no home to return to. What was I going to do now?

“I...I have no idea,” I responded.

He paused his laughter for a brief moment. “The Laughingstocks sure could use a pony with your abilities,” he said as he started laughing some more. “I know you aren’t cursed like the rest of us, but anypony that can take down a high ranking member of the Iron Hoof is welcome.”

“I’m not sure...” I was new to the wasteland, I wasn’t prepared to be picking sides. Although I think I sealed my fate by taking down the Delta and the other ranger. I was either going to join the Laughingstocks or be killed by the Iron Hoof. But maybe I could make a living someplace far from this war. Someplace where there weren’t any raiders or Steel Rangers wanting to kill me at every turn, someplace that wasn’t deadly. Were there places like that in the wasteland?

“You are going to be in Circus for a few more days at least, right?” I nodded. “Well, think over the proposition. Let me know where you stand on the offer.” His good eye stared at me as he continued to chuckle.

“Uhm, thanks,” I nervously responded. I quickly tried to exit the office.

“One more thing before you leave,” he said in his exceedingly joyful tone. I turned back to his smiling face and his one dead eye. “Whisper here is in need of some assistance. He botched his last attempt at meeting with a caravan, and I think he should have some helpers to protect him. He seems to have taken a shine to you, and requested you and your friends specifically.” I looked at the young pony to my side. He just stared back at me with his usual scowl. “There is good pay if you get him back here alive with the information I require.”

I mulled the idea over in my head. I wasn’t a mercenary. But at the same time, I was stuck in the wasteland, likely for the rest of my life. I was going to need caps if I was going to survive. Plus, I couldn’t live with myself if the little guy got hurt.

“I’m not that little.”

“Okay, I will take the job,” I announced to the disturbing pony with the painted hide. “Although I am not sure if the ponies that have traveled with me will join. Two of them came here to escape the Iron Hoof, while the other...Actually, I have no idea why she traveled here.”

The once white coated pony laughed, although there was a hint of sincerity to it. “If somepony follows you around without a real reason, that means either they are your friend, or they are lovestruck.”

He kept chuckling, both at the comment and because he had to, as I left the office. Whisper followed me out of the room.

“If you think he is creepy on the outside, pray you never see him on the inside.”

I shivered a little at the thought of how he could be any more disturbing.

My Pipbuck beeped again. I decided to just ignore it. It probably said I had met Smile and now I had to escort Whisper to the caravan. It was beginning to seem a little redundant. I would have to remember to ask Volt if he knew how to turn off the constant notifications.

The door dinged as it opened into the lobby. I looked around the large room. Various Laughingstocks wandered around.

“Any idea where the others are?” I asked the small colt.

“Do I look like a compass to you?” he sneered in my head. A moment later I heard his voice again. “Razor went back to the bar and is getting drunk again.” No surprise there. “The siblings are speaking with Doctor Harvest. Something about starting up a clinic.”

“So where is the Doc?” I asked.

“Basement level. Just follow me.”

The blue colt lead me through a series of hallways and down a flight of stairs. We passed through a door that said “No Unauthorized Access” with the handle bashed in. I think that counts as unauthorized.

We eventually entered a large room that resembled the operation room I had woke up in back at the clinic. The walls bore no colorful paintings. They were grey, like those of the Stable. The room had no party decorations. Shelves were lined with jars that contained various...things that I am unsure what they were exactly, but I wasn’t wanting to find out anytime soon. A few tables were bolted to the floor, they looked like metal slabs. One of the walls was adorned with several metal doors. A small gathering of ponies spoke in the center of the disturbing room.

“-would really benefit from having easier access to medical attention of a more...benevolent nature,” said the large unicorn.

His sister sat next to him, looking fairly bored of the conversation. She was the first to notice our entrance, a small smile formed on her mouth as she saw me. “Well, look who survived his encounter with big bad Smile,” she chuckled. “What did he want?”

“He wanted me to join the Laughingstocks,” I answered.

“Did you accept?” she asked.

“I still haven’t decided. He also wanted the four of us to help Whisper out,” I said. “That is, if you two don’t have plans to stay here,” I added.

Needles spoke up first. “Actually, we do have plans. We plan to take up residence in Circus, to set up a clinic to aid these ponies.”

“That is what you plan to do,” interrupted the small mare.

“I thought we both agreed on this,” said Needles in a stern voice.

“I never agreed to this. I don’t want to stay here, and I don’t want to start a clinic. I came here to help defeat the Iron Hoof, not to be a nurse mare for some sick pony.”

“Children, children. There is no need to fight right now,” said a calm but raspy voice. I now noticed the other two ponies in the room. One was a ghoul, his coat had long fallen out and only a few strands of black mane connected to his skull. He was a unicorn. The majority of his face had been degraded, his mouth was covered by a surgical mask that seemed to connect to his face. Wait, I think it did. The other was a pony from my stable, he looked pretty bad, a look of pain upon his face. “Younger one, your brother has brought you here so you can be safe, so you can help ponies.” He stared at the dark colored pegasus who just frowned at his words. His gaze then shifted to Needles. “And older one, your sister does not wish to be caged. She must be free to do as she desires.” Then he looked at me. His pure black eyes seemed to look through me. “And you, my friend, you appear to not know what it is that you want.”

“Enough of the therapy session,” interrupted Pinprick. “I am going to help Live Wire.” I guess that made her my friend by Smile’s logic. I didn’t have many friends back in the Stable, stealing a lot of things from the ponies around you tends to do that.

Needlepoint stared at me with a grimace, but said nothing. The strange ghoul looked back at me. “Ah, I do not believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Doctor Harvest, resident doctor, surgeon, engineer, haberdasher, therapist, and pharmacist of Circus.” He turned to the unicorn next to him. I recognized him. “And this is my new assistant, Clockwork.”

Flange looked over at me. “Hey, Live Wire! I haven’t seen you since the whole Stable incident. How have you been?” He looked terrible. His tan coat was riddled with scars. He looked like he was in intense pain even though he tried to act normal. How painful could it be to have insides made of metal?

“Better than most ponies out here.”

“Good to hear. I have been bad, though now I am set up with Harvest as his assistant. He makes sure I have enough pain killers.” He looked like he needed a larger dose, as the pain was apparent in his expression.

“Yes, well, if you would kindly excuse us, there are bodies with organs that have yet to be recycled,” chimed the ghoul. There was something eerie about his cheer. And I did not want to wait around to see what ‘recycling’ entailed.

We spent a few hours investigating what Circus had to offer. A visit to a few shops, and I had a small fortune of caps in my bag thanks to many of the scavenged items I managed to sell. I managed to buy myself some better barding, some that might actually manage to stop a bullet from a light weapon. I also managed to purchase a good amount of ammo for my weapons, the powerful revolver now had a few shots to spare. I actually felt prepared to face the wasteland.

Needles and Pin talked to each other as least as possible. They were both still angry at the other. I felt a little responsible for driving a wedge between the two.

Eventually, Needles just left. Said he had things to attend to. This left me wandering the city with the pegasus mare and the mute colt. We eventually found a small shop that sold food. I purchased a Sparkle-Cola and a some sort of pre-war cereal. I sat at a makeshift table, Pin sat across from me with some sort of cooked meat. I wasn’t sure it was edible for ponies, but she was both a medic and had been in the wasteland longer, so I wasn’t going to pester her about it. As it turns out, sugary cereal plus cola is incredibly delicious.

“So, how are your wings?” I asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

“Better,” she replied, stretching out the bandaged limbs. “I might be back in the air by tomorrow.” She had a smile on her face. “What about you? How are you with your brother?”

“Bad. I guess he was justified in his actions, but I can’t help but feel that there might have been an alternative solution, one that didn’t end so poorly, one that didn’t leave me in the wasteland.”

“Oh come on, your experiences in the wasteland haven’t been all bad, have they?”

“Majority of them. I get shot at almost hourly, a group of metalclad ponies are all eager to blow me up, and now I am getting recruited by insane gang leaders.”

“Yes, but you saved many ponies. You saved Razor from a hellhound, or a pack of hounds if you listen to the way she tells it. You saved Whisper from those raiders.” She looked at me with her golden eyes. “You saved me from the ranger.”

“Yeah, I’m a hero. And heroes die in the wasteland. You said it yourself.”

She was silent for a moment. “They do, but that doesn’t mean what they do isn’t worth anything.”

“I don’t want to be a hero, I just want to live my life. I just want to survive.” I remembered Razor telling me that she became a bandit so that she could survive. Was surviving in the wasteland that slippery of a slope? In trying to just survive, you become the one who takes the life of an innocent pony?

“Hero or not, you are a good pony,” she reassured me. “It’s getting late, we need to head back to the tavern. Needles will probably have a heart attack if I don’t return soon.” She looked at Whisper. “Do you have someplace to stay?” Whisper nodded.

“I’m a Laughingstock, of course I have a place to stay. Not a bright pony, is she?”

“She was just being nice,” I said. The look from the pegasus reminded me that she couldn’t hear Whisper, and I had neglected to inform her that I could. “Telepathy,” I explained, pointing at Whisper who simply gave a nod.

“Oh, okay. Better than the alternative of you just being crazy,” she said with a little chuckle as she headed in the direction of the tavern. I followed after her as Whisper departed for the tower.

“Is she drunk already?” asked Pin.

We were met with an odd sight as we had entered the tavern. At the bar was Razor and Martini, kissing each other.

“Yes,” replied Needles as he sat at a table listening to some song on the radio.

“I’m always drunk when I can help it!” slurred Razor.

“I’m just enjoying this while it lasts,” hummed the bar pony.

Pin leaned over to me. “Guess I was wrong about her liking you,” she chuckled.

“Which one were you wrong about?” I replied with a laugh of my own. She only laughed in response. “Was I this bad while I was drunk?”

“Well, you weren’t making out with anypony while you were drunk, but at least she seems to not be setting herself on fire. Yet at least.”

“Right. Well, I am going to sleep.” As hilarious as it would be to watch Razor make a drunken fool of herself, I needed rest.

I ascended the stairs to the second floor of the buildings and entered the room I had occupied last night in my drunken stupor. I noted that it had been cleaned of the vomit, and the walls had a fresh application of paint that covered the drunken scribblings. I lied down on the mattress, which I had missed by a few feet when I passed out last night. I began to just think over the events of the day.

The memories of another pony met me when I fell asleep. The sounds were becoming clearer, and I could see blurry colors.

I was in the wasteland. I stood at the apex of a hill, looking down I saw a small army of ponies charging at us, weapons in their mouths, some weapons levitated behind the unicorns that held them. Straight ahead on an opposite hill was a small group of metalclad rangers, firing at our position with heavy rifles and explosives.

“Damnit, watch the left side!” my host shouted. “We don’t want to be overrun!”

On both sides was a small group of ponies, some of which I recognized. They all were firing various weapons, each taking down raiders at a startling rate. The left side was being neglected, as a few raiders were ascending the hill to our position. I levitated my rifle and put down two raiders with two shots. Whoever I was, I was an awesome shot.

“Why does nopony ever listen to me?” my host mumbled to himself as he took down a raider that had two shotguns attached to his saddle.

“Clef, look out!” shouted a red mare as she took down a raider that had charged my side with a knife in his teeth. The raider was quickly filled with holes as the red mare fired a clip from an automatic gun.

“Thanks, Summer,” he mumbled.

An orange colored earth pony slammed his hooves down on a raider that had surmounted the hill. “We are getting overrun!” he shouted.

“Pick is right, we need to retreat!” said a yellow pegasus.

“Down the hill!” my host shouted as he quickly followed his own command. Only the red and orange earth ponies, along with the pegasus made it down the hill before it erupted with a potent explosion, decimating the troop that had once been on top of it. The orange pony tumbled down the hill, hitting his head on the ground with a long crack.

“Are you okay?” the mare quickly asked.

“Yeah, yeah. My head is like a rock. Going to take a lot more to harm me,” replied the buck as he rubbed a forming bump on his head.

“Damnit, get a message to Smile, tell him we lost this area to the rangers!” I felt myself shout at the pegasus, who gave a nod and shot off. My host turned to the two survivors. “We have to get out of here before the raiders get us.”

“Let’s just run south, straight to Circus,” said the mare.

“No, that would put as at risk of encountering Killing Joke. We should head east first, and circle around,” my host said.

“That would take too long, we need to get back fast. We don’t have time to move so slowly,” she argued.

“I agree with Summer Days, going east would put us at risk of raiders who are loyal to the Hoof. Besides, I heard that somepony cleared out most of the Joke,” replied the other earth pony.

“Pickaxe and I will go straight to Circus, you can go the long way if you want, Bass Clef,” replied the mare, Summer Days. My host grumbled something as he followed after the two.

The void filled the wasteland with its familiar white emptiness. The voice penetrated the abyss. “Hello again, Live Wire.”

“Who are you?” I shouted at the vast nothingness.

“There is that question again. Who I am is nothing more than a simple pony trying to survive in the wasteland,” it responded with a hint of amusement.

“Are you what drove Volt to leave the Stable?” I asked. I had to know if the same entity that controlled my brother was trying to control me.

“Ah yes, your brother. Did I speak with him? Personally, no. But one of us did.”

“One of what?”

“Another question that you are not yet ready for. In due time, in due time. But as for your brother, I deeply regret that we had to take such a direct role in his endeavor, but we needed him in order to get to you and a few others from your home.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because you are a special pony, Live Wire. Very important for our plans.”

“What plans?”

“More questions that I can not answer. Please, Wire, you are wasting the short time we have by asking them.”

I was getting angry. It was avoiding my questions and mocking me for asking them. “Well what can you tell me without giving a cryptic response?”

“What can I tell you? Not much. We are letting you follow your own path. We want to see how you will react to the challenges ahead. Then we will be able to decide if you are who we need.” With that, the void began to fill with darkness as I began to wake up. “You have a lot to do, Live Wire. So much to do in so little time.”

I woke up from the encounter with the strange voice. This only created more questions than it answered. Why did it need me? What was it? What was it planning?

These thoughts were interrupted by the light snoring of Razor, who had somehow stumbled into my room and collapsed on the floor sometime in the middle of the night. A few empty bottles laid next to her. I began to wonder if she was my friend as well. She had saved me on numerous occasions, and I had saved her as well. Did that make us friends?

I rose to my hooves and trotted out of the room. Razor was too much of a chore to wake up, so I just left her there. Instead, I went downstairs to the bar part of the tavern. The olive mare was behind the counter as usual.

“Morning,” she chimed in her happy voice.

“Don’t you ever sleep?” I asked.

“Not very often. I only need a few hours anyway.” Strange. But considering some of the things I had seen in this town, I didn’t pay it much thought. “I heard that you were thinking about joining the Laughingstocks.” Word travels fast apparently.

“Yeah, though I am not really sure. I’ve only been in the wasteland a few days.”

“I think you should. We are like one big family.”

“You’re a Laughingstock?” I asked in disbelief. She didn’t seem to be affected by Killing Joke, and she didn’t look like much of a fighter.

“Well, kinda. My father is one, and the majority of them come to the Drunken Princess in order to get drunk. Though for some it ends badly.” She looked at one of the walls that had a more recent coating of painted swirls on it. “I just fixed the damage of when Reverb got drunk and started to talk.” She turned back to me. “Although I have to say that you were among the funniest drunks I have ever seen.” I doubted anypony would let me forget this any time soon.

“You said your father was a member?” I quickly tried to change the subject.

“Yeah, I think you might know him.” Her smile as she said this was a little disturbing. “His name is Shining Smile. Though he goes by Glasgow Smile these days.”

I felt the color drain from my face. “You...You mean your father is...What?” I stammered.

“Of course he is. How else do you think I could own such a lovely establishment?” She simply smiled at my confusion. The idea of a pony such as Smile having children was something I hadn’t thought about, though it did explain a lot about the olive mare.

My thoughts were interrupted by one of my companions descending the stairs. The small pegasus looked over to the bar, at me sitting there speaking with Martini. She frowned a little.

“Getting drunk already?” she asked, a smile reforming on her face. “Don’t you remember the last time? Oh wait, you don’t.” She simply laughed, the bartender laughed with her. I could tell that I would regret that for a long time.

“Whisper wanted us to leave today, so get anything you need for the trip. Go get Needles, and I will try to wake up Razor,” I said in order to change the topic away from my drunken mishaps.

“I have more paint if you need it,” the olive mare said with a smile.

About another hour had passed. Needles and Pin were outside preparing the cart. Whisper had arrived a few minutes ago, his small frame was loaded down with a few packs. He wore a holster on his leg, a small revolver was inside it. I doubted he had any training with firearms, but then again, I hadn’t either until a few days ago. Razor was still in the bar, both saying goodbye to her new friend and buying as much alcohol as she could carry. Finally, she exited the building levitating about half a dozen bottles behind her.

“What? It is going to be a long trip,” she tried to reason. I said nothing, but silently agreed with her.

This was going to be a long trip.
=====================================================================
Footnote: Level Up.
New Perk: Shotgun Surgeon- When using shotguns, regardless of the type of ammunition used, you ignore an additional 10 points of a target’s damage threshold.

(I would like to thank Kkat for writing Fallout Equestria, one of the best stories I have read, and I would like to thank Somber for writing Project Horizons, another great tale. I would also like to thank Melon Hunter for reviewing the chapter and submitting suggestions.)