Chapter 3: EverBright Canyon

The Figure after digesting this information began to spot loopholes in her story “I thought you said you met Trouble up by Dead Water sounds to me you were in EverBright Canyon, and what happened that wounded raider?”

Dawn merely smiled and said “Dead Water is where we collected the pay and the raider, ha! Trouble is an expert in persuasion.” Dawn found herself oddly amused by her own statement.

“Did Trouble ever tell you about his past, or the Death Dealers?” the figure asked he was getting a little soft on Black. Maybe it was the mutual co-operative feeling between the two. But she didn’t doubt for a second he could turn nasty on her if she withheld information on him.

“Um, he never really mentioned them.” Dawn lied, truth be told she knew all about them she spent every hour with one of the 3 known survivors for the better part of a half a dozen weeks but Dawn wanted to know what this figure knows.

The Figure rose from the chair once again and began to pace “The Death Dealers were the best merc group the wasteland has ever seen. A splinter from the original C.P.L.A, they took in orphans or any other fillys or colts and trained them from foalhood to be killing machines. Since the Coltic lands were never primary targets for the Zebra’s most of them went unscathed.”

The Figure wasn’t done pacing so Dawn pressed him further into the subject. The Death Dealers? She knew plenty about them her questions were about this C.P.L.A

“Who are the C.P.L.A?” Asked Dawn, she got more than she bargained for.

“The C.P.L.A or the Coltic Ponies Liberation Army was the unofficial armed forces of the Coltic states they were considered terrorists until the Great war. They use guerrilla tactics and are still technically active to this day, they are well trained, well armed and very angry. There are now three tribes all descending from the C.P.L.A, The Fusiliers they were the explosives experts they preside over Monaneigh, then there is the Sharp-Shooters more commonly referred to as the Eamon Wright’s because aiming is their game, they control all over the Bally atha Poni area, no one wanders within a mile of their borders with a full magazine or else, and finally there were the Grunts they were the regular geniuses’ with Machine guns, Shotguns and the like. They can build them, upgrade them, hell they even design them, they control the most territory of the three The ruins of the old Coltic Capital of Marefast.”

One thing Dawn could say for the figure was if anything the pony was comprehensive. Too bad she’s never been to the Coltic regions Trouble and Night Light never really talked about going there. She wondered where Night Light was now last thing she remembers before waking up in this room shackled to a chair is falling asleep with Night Light.

The figure returned to his seat after his lecture and said “Let’s continue just after Trouble made you the offer. What happened to the raider you captured and more importantly what the fuck happened at EverBright?”

Shit happened at EverBright.”

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Trouble trotted slowly over to the injured raider. He was now back on all 4 of his hooves and the raider was slipping into unconsciousness. Trouble nudged him with a hoof.

“Nuh-nuh your not quite dead yet. Yet. I’ll let you live if you tell me what I need to know nod if you understand.”

The raider weakly bobbed his head up and down, his body propped up against his fresh corpse of a comrade. Trouble handed him the same flask as he handed her, the raider drank deep.

Trouble took back his flask and lowered his head in close to the raider's and gently spoke to him

“Ya lost a load of blood mate, you have about  fifteen minutes before you drift away, I can save ya but only if ya tell me wha I need to know, right son?” the raiders eyes filled with a sadness that made Black Dawn pity the soul she almost felt sorry for him Trouble came across as demanding yet compassionate she liked that in him.

The leader of the dead raider spoke back quietly barely audible “I don’t want to die...” he was breaking down Trouble smiled at him, his face only 3 inches from the raider’s and he said with grim satisfaction “Good.”

He took an assertive tone and towered over the raider now “Bout two miles inta this ere canyon there is an outpost o’ some description, correct?”

The raider nodded.

“In this outpost there should be about a dozen raiders are you one, and your mates for that matter?”

The raider nodded again and softly spoke “Three dozen.”

“Any hostages?” Trouble swallowed hard after the raider’s words 3 times the size he thought.

The raider nodded once more “Six...”

Trouble at this made a noise that could only be comprehended as “firfacksake.”

“Congratulations you’ve saved your own life.” Trouble took out some bandages from his saddlebags inside that duster of his and began to wrap the bandages around the raider.

The look of relief on the raider's face could not be described. Dawn never seen a pony that glad in her life, then again she had hardly lived. Trouble hoisted him up into a hug to finish tying up the bandages and whispered gently into his ear.

“So... how many hostages begged for death before you minced them?” The raider tried to jump out, but Trouble forced him hard into the wall. The raider coughed out the air from his lungs as he slammed against the canyon wall panicking.

“None! I swear Please!” the raider stared over Trouble’s shoulder and stared at Dawn with his pleading eyes, those scared eyes pierced Dawn’s heart, she felt sorry for him even though she knew he wouldn’t in her position.

He knew he was fucked, Trouble slapped his face and with those steel digits that left cuts on his cheek and said “Wrong answer...” like lightning faster than Dawn could blink he reached into the belt on his underbelly and before you could say K.O he smacked the cylinder of a Midnight Black Revolver with gold infusions along the frame of the gun.

The 6inch barrel of the gun bending back around the raider’s skull the cylinder impacted with his temple and made an audible “thump”.

He turned round to face Black she had an aghast expression her jaw hanging wide. The look on her face was the same was what was going through her head. Nothing, she hadn’t a clue what to do besides stand there.

Trouble recomposed himself and spread the hooves of the unconscious raider outwards.  Trouble  took out the same knife as he did earlier that killed Brick Jaw and probably the raider next to the unconscious raider.

Trouble began to hack at the bottom of his left hind hoof, he was slicing it off.

“W-what are you doing?” Dawn stammered out he was maiming this pony for no good reason and Dawn was too frightened to object. He replied not taking his eyes off his handy work.

“When this fine member of society comes roun’ he’s gonna plod on down to his mates at the fucking outpost, I want this cunt out of action, we’ll see what he’s made of if he can stand the pain, maybe he can make it to N.C.R without bleeding to death.”

She was regretting meeting this pony but she didn’t mean it, her ass would be grass right now if it weren’t for him but he was starting to scare her fast. He was no better than a raider in her eyes, only a lot more dangerous.

He began work on the second hind hoof, the hoof he finished; the bottom off it was lying on the ground. A slab of red flesh, blood trickling out from the open wound the second hoof slid off with a sickening mushy “shleehp” noise.

He exhaled hard after his gruesome work, he wiped his blade on the coat of the maimed raider and put it back into its leather pouch inside his duster

“Now kid, your gonna need a rifle, take your pick.” he waved a hoof at the stack of rifles he made she picked Brick Jaw’s for no particular reason.

“You know how to use that?”

She pulled back the bolt of the rusted rifle with her magic, chambered a round and nodded with a smile as the glow from her horn escalated illuminating the immediate area around her. She seen local militia and gangs in her town stripping their rifles and firing them. She had plenty of them to watch them and learn.

“Take the ammo from their rifles as well, we got miles to go yet kid. Oh yeah and take a sling for that piece. The light from your horn might give us away y’know.” After she extracted the ammo from their rifles she counted 13 including what’s in Brick Jaw’s rifle. The rifle could hold 5 shots leaving 8 in reserve in her saddlebags. Trouble rose onto his hindlegs and began to venture into the canyon. Dawn followed her spectral saviour wondering whether she should turn back, but she knew know there was no turning back.

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They were travelling deeper down the canyon when Dawn heard synchronized gunfire Black unholstered her rifle Trouble turned round to face her “Easy kid just target practice.”

He fitted his black helmet around his skull again completing his outfit. The visor glowing a soft blood red, a joker smile painted across the Gas filter with sharpened teeth the paint faded over time. Somehow time’s tarnish on it only succeeded in making it look even more menacing.

They walked passed  old ruins of a building. If you could call it that, it was little more than some upright concrete and rebar jutting out of the remaining walls.

Trouble held out his hoof to beckon Dawn to stop. He pressed his back up against the wall of this building to peer inside, as he was pressed up Dawn seen a pistol belt low around the chest piece of his armor.

It held two massive revolvers, one she seen when Trouble was interrogating the raider. While that one was midnight black with a golden wavy and random pattern infusion with an ivory handle with a silhouette of a black mare.

Standing out against ivory in a seductive pose head cocked and one fore hoof crossed across the other.

While the other revolver was a sister to this one. It was equally as huge but was an inversion of the colours: Pearl white frame with golden infusions but an ebony handle with a white silhouette in the exact same pose but standing out in white.

The bullets surrounding these magnificent tools were quite odd, strange patterns, dips and grooves along the bullet topped off with a coat of black along the case, custom rounds like those were a rarity.

Trouble moved his head round content with his prying. He beckoned Dawn to move up with him back into a casual stroll “Just a few Radroaches nothing to worry bout.” Dawn wondered what a Radroach was but unfortunately she found out.

As they plodded past her eyes widened they were mutant insects, huge, the size of a newborn foal scuttling about on 6 legs, a sickly shade of brown she nearly gagged these mutant freaks made her feel sick to the stomach yet Trouble was entirely unphased by it. Must just be something you get used to out here Dawn reasoned out.

She imagined these must have been the equivalent of the rats they had in her town, some were the size of dogs where she came from.

“So uh, how long till we reach the outpost?” Dawn said trying to break the silence ever since the gunfire ceased it’s been a little tense. That and she was trying to get the mental picture of one of those scuttling freaky radroaches out of her mind. Trouble took maybe another 12 paces before Dawn tried him again “How long till w-.” She was cut off abruptly

“Four minutes, rough. Don’t talk we don’t know if they got scouts.”

Dawn looked up at the sky she noticed the canyon walls were gaining height the further they dived into them. She felt engulfed, the canyon straits now growing narrower less than 8 feet at its narrowest.

But then the canyon straits came to a 90 degree turn and opened wide into a bowl. A large triple story building with barricading in front of it whihc consisted of measly stacked sandbags with two raiders sitting outside smoking.

On the top floor of the building there was a sniper’s nest on a balcony with a tarp and sandbags vaguely covering it on the left hand side of the building. It was unmanned for now. There were finally on the outside a pair of patrolling raiders. And something else. A gas tank at the side of the Building with pipes crawling up the side of the building from the tank.

Black’s head was just peering round the corner after she got a lay of the land so to speak, when removed his helmet.

“Right here’s the plan; the patrol goes down first. Then the front sentries, the sniper is off duty lets use that nest, if reinforcements show up a position like that will come in handy, once we're inside we liberate the prisoners, after that we wipe out the raiders and loot the place of anything valuable. Keep it clean, I don’t want anymore dead hostages it’s bad for repeat business and watch your corners once you’re inside. Open fire on my lead, we go in quiet though, got that?”

Dawn got none of it but she nodded anyway “And what if the hostages are dead?” this thought just occurred to Dawn after Trouble brutalised a raider because he short changed his hostages.

“Then we only get paid half” That seemed like a rational reason why to maim a pony.

“Right on the patrol’s next pass I’ll take em’ down if it goes to shit take the shot can ya do that for mah kid?” Dawn felt a fresh wave of fear come over her, she felt like there was a bag of bricks in her stomach.

“Yeah Trouble I can do that for you.” Trouble clapped her on the shoulder and nodded this was the first time she actually referred to him as Trouble out loud.

The raider patrol was coming back round now they were talking “Hey whens Adonis’s group due back?” the red unicorn mare said to the powder blue earth stallion

“Fucked if I know Brick Jaw has my rifle, he better come back with it in one piece or I’ll fuck his brains out, if there is any left in his head.” The powder blue stallion raider said past the sledgehammer in his mouth. Which was clearly too hefty for him.The unicorn on the other hand had an old snub nose revolver levitating it around her orbit.

Trouble waited for the duo to past the corner where him and Black Dawn were hiding as soon as he was out of their peripheral line of sight he unsheathed the blade he used to wipe out the now revealed Adonis and Brick jaw’s party.

He skulked up behind him them on all fours, like a ghost. It was scary how quiet this pony could be considering his size and lethality, he was trotting on the tips of the metal digits on his fore hooves they were just passing a boulder when he struck. He tapped the unicorns shoulder she turned round casually he caught her totally off guard,  he slashed her throat in a flash of steel and blood, while she was still gurgling her blood he pounced on the earth pony stabbing him several times as he threw him to the ground. Mashing his lungs with cold steel.

Black Dawn ran over to meet him. Trouble hid the bodies tightly against the rocks they were sheltering themselves behind.

Black peered through the rocks at the sentries by the front door’s sandbags they were completely unaware to their comrades disappearance.

Black went ahead and levitated the unicorns revolver up to her flank, not like the raider was going to need it. She looked at the raider’s eyes and froze. They were scared.

Dawn dropped the revolver out of shock, she rested her back against the boulder slowly slinking down as her teeth began to chatter.

She was visibly shaking now, her teeth going “Klink-Klink-Klink-Klink.” colours seemed brighter now than they did before and everything had become audible, her own heart beating Trouble’s suppressed breathing through the filter of his mask seemed to frighten her more than any raider knowing he could kill them so easily.

Trouble looked down at her then back at the sentries then had a double take on her, “Wait here, I’ll clear out the sentries when they’re down you move up got it?”

Trouble tried to give her some space or maybe he was afraid if he touched her she’d let out a scream. Dawn nodded briskly still staring into the raider’s eyes. They were deep blue like hers. Trouble disappeared round a rock. When he disappeared Dawn felt a little of the fear lift from her chest and she broke eye contact with the dead raider. She regained her grip over the raider’s pistol she claimed and opened up the cylinder. 5 shots of 6, not bad. The revolver was nowhere near as big or beautiful or as in good condition as Trouble’s.

She peeked over the rocks. Trouble was pressed against the sandbags the sentries were still completely unaware to his presence. He reached both hooves into his duster this time unsheating his combat knife and a small headed axe.

He vaulted over the sandbags burying the axe into the unsuspecting raider’s head the other raider was jumping for his rifle but a quick pierce to the chest stopped him in his tracks.

He retrieved his axe with some effort and Dawn sprinted over to him not taking her eyes off the snipers nest now the real test began 3 dozen Adonis said 4 down plus Adonis’s group 7, 29 left.

29vs2 could be worse...

Trouble took out his shotgun the “Red Queen” and chambered a shell with a crisp “chuk-chuk” he nodded at Dawn as a reassurance.

“Lock and load kid I’m on point, don’t hesitate take that angel’s MP its close quarters in there.” Trouble was talking about the corpse’s Machine pistol it was a blowback pistol with a magazine longer than the handle she pulled back the slide with her magic with a weak “cha-chenk.” The weapon became live.

“What next?” Dawn asked she was subconsciously stalling.

“Now comes the fun part, two right behind the door, their mine.”

He bucked open the door, and sure enough there were two armed raiders at a receptionists’ desk. A deafening thunder erupted from Trouble’s weapon the blasts from the weapon connected with the raiders torso’s turning them into thick red paste before they even had a chance to react.

Black  jumped, she was still levitating the Machine Pistol she claimed from the dead raider sentry. She was shrinking back now she began consoling herself “stay...behind, you’re okay, watcher said... he didn’t know, I don’t know, what am I doing here...Trouble” she was broken from her little trance by the sound of ponies running directly above, Trouble pressed his back against the wall and slunk deep into it and fixated his weapons crosshairs at a flight of stairs he looked back at Dawn and waved her down.

Dawn hid in front of the receptionists desk peeking up. Her gun resting on the top, she was breathing fast now and she began to see hooves charge down the stairs, several ponies.

Trouble didn’t move, so she didn’t move the first one was coming round. Trouble didn’t fire, the second came. Not a move, when the third pony cornered and was in his sight.

He fired a burst of his powerhouse weapon fire erupting from the barrel, wiping the raiders out taking the first raider’s face clean off, it was just a pile of mush now with some bones in the back. The other 2 weren’t much better though, he arose and began up the stairs to the second story.

It was after he was around the bend of the stairs he looked back at Dawn cowering behind the desk at the reception, shaking, he signalled for her to come over to him she shook her head and ducked behind the desk her chest heaving, she hadn’t even fired a shot. Her fear for the raiders was nothing compared to her fear of him. The raiders at least lacked his killing power.

Before she knew it Trouble was crouched next to her inexplicably, he was incomprehensibly quiet, moved like the wind as undetectable as a ghost, until he fired that shotgun anyway.

“Kid please I need ya in that sniper’s nest there is no fucking way there is thirty raiders in here. Too quiet stick right behind mah and I promise ya nufink bad will happen okay?”

His accent coming through again, he’s words reassured Dawn if only slightly. He gently grasped her hoof in his and held his shotgun tightly against his shoulder, cheek pressed against the stock for a pony that walked on his hind hooves, completely erect he was quite manoeuvrable. His clutch remained steady on her hoof unwavering, he must have understood what she was going through, the most violent thing she was accustomed to was a bully with a 2x4 or if she was unlucky a lead pipe. The NCR was pretty sheltered from the outside world, a diluted form of what lay out in the wastes.

She felt safer now almost eradicating all the paralyzing fear she felt earlier having Trouble looking out for her made it feel like she had a shield that could block out the hell of the wastes even, she didn’t feel so terrified of her shield now. Now she could use that shield to save her.

As they went up the stairs Trouble let go of her hoof after he let go she still felt a lingering sense of safety and her sobbing ceased her heart rate lowered slightly too.

The stairs opened up on the second storey the stairs turned down a hallway to the right. Trouble jumped out into the Hallway and signalled for her to move up as she was slowly came into the hallway with Trouble, a Raider from an unseen alcove swung a sledge hammer at Trouble. Trouble didn’t have time to swing his shotgun around, the sledge hammer impacted with his armor making a loud “Klank!” noise, knocking Trouble over, he wasn’t moving  Black Dawn dropped her pistol again trembling for her life once more what was so paralyzing about these ponies?

The raider raised his hammer up, gripped in his teeth he reared up onto his hind hooves to deliver a death blow. When the raider went down, Trouble flipped over unto his back raising his weapons bayonet with the raiders neck. The raider condemned by his own momentum, his neck was impaled upon the bayonet the sledgehammer hung loosely in his mouth, the pony remained erect stood up on the bayonet. Trouble threw the raider off him. The raider slapping on the cold floor sanguine fluid running down the stairs Trouble raised from the ground.

Dawn re-adjusted. Her control over her nerves was appalling she dropped her pistol, she was at point blank with the raider the only reason the raider didn’t spot her was because if there was another pony there to back Trouble up they would have  shot the raider.

Trouble sat down and pushed his back against the wall watching the hallway and waved Black over “Y-yeah?” Dawn whispered nervously she was expecting him to stab her for her idiocy.

“Kid head on up the stairs, grab the sniper’s rifle I’ll clear out this floor.” He said struggling; his head was bobbing uncontrollably “Are you okay?” Dawn was scared out of her mind but had her wits about her enough to know he was injured.

  He just took a smash from a sledge hammer if he wasn’t wearing armor it would have shattered his spine.

“Yea-yea-yea jammy cunt just knocked the wind outta mah, for some reason when they don’t expect see it comin it seems to do more damage weird ain’ it.”

He clutched at his ribs panted and said “I need you to get up into that sniper’s nest the hostages are in this floor I’ll get em’ you jus get ta the rifle awrigh?” Dawn nodded and began up the stairs Trouble was getting onto his hooves again, she had a slight courage now she felt it best to carry 2 guns, so she took out that revolver she claimed from the patrol, now she was twice as dangerous right? Wait, how did he know the hostages are on that floor?

She was coming onto the third story when she heard gunfire down below automatics very fast rate of fire. But was quelled when Trouble fired a burst of 3 back, the gunfire fell silent for awhile then a final automatic burst ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka, Boom! A single blast from the Red Queen.

Black Dawn was on the third storey now, the nest was still unmanned she seen it through a missing piece in the filthy windows panes near the nest was a lit cigarette, she done as Trouble done slowly and cautiously walk down there, expect the worst. Once you see them blast them.

More gunfire from downstairs, Dawn tried to focus on her own predicament some pony had to be up here no pony lights a smoke and lets it waste. She was slowly at a snail’s pace proceeding down the hallway she put her back to the glass stained windows so she was facing the rooms. She was expecting an ambush, she shimmied past the first room it had a desk there with a painting behind it the original canvas colouring was long gone though.

As she was passing the second room she only had eyes for the door frame, she was expecting it. What she wasn’t expecting was the shard of glass going crack under her hooves, a clear crunching noise like boots on snow, she glanced down to see what she stood on out of surprise.

A raider jumped from behind the doorway with a machete in his teeth an unclear battle cry filtering through the machete’s handle.

Dawn opened fired with the two pistols a long burst from the machine pistol and 2 bangs from the revolver, the machine pistol ripping through the raiders weak armor perforating him with tiny holes, the revolver punching 2 big holes into the raiders neck the machine pistol went “Click, click” when a unicorn came from another door with a revolver not unlike hers.

Dawn knew what to do she flung her back to the wall sure enough two bullets snapped passed where she was standing, before the unicorn had time to aim, Dawn wildly fired her remaining pistol “Bang,-Bang-Bang, click.” the unicorn fell her gun letting off a shot as she toppled backwards, Black threw aside her spent pistols and ran over to claim the spoils of her kill, more bursts came from Trouble’s shotgun Dawn ran over and opened the cylinder of the fallen raiders weapon. 3 shots and she still had her rifle.

She ran out onto the balcony where the nest was, there was the rifle lying on a table behind the sandbags. Dawn stopped a few feet in front of it simply to admire it’s beauty.

It was a long and thin all length no width. The Rifle nearly the length of her; Lean and Mean just laying there.

A little weathered but that just added to it’s charm. It was jet black like her, it had a bipod keeping it standing off the table, four large black metallic magazines next to it, large bullets for a large gun.

Tthe scope was huge as well, and on the stock crudely etched into it with a knife and double underlined for emphasis “Bad News” leaving bright streaking on this dark tool of ranged death.

It was semi-automatic and the magazines seemed to hold 10 rounds, 10 big rounds to be precise. There was also a locked ammo box next to it not much to do about that though.

Black looked out upon the way they came into the bowl. Something shifted, a mass of some description she levitated the rifle over and raised the scope to her eye she seen maybe ten to a dozen maybe more raiders coming their way “Oh fuck, Trouble!”

She put the rifle back where she found it for now, and un-holstered her rifle wrapping it in her magical tendrils along with her pistol and bolted down the hallway to find Trouble, rifle holds 5 pistol only has 3 but she has 8 in the stands for the rifle though.

She was back on the second storey the gunfire here had long ceased. The hallway was littered with holes

“Got the hostages secure! Follow my voice!” his mask was off now Dawn could actually pick up emotion again.

She followed the echo and she burst into a large room panting, when she wiped her eyes she was in a large room with opened rusted metal cells, mulched corpses littering the scene and half a dozen terrified hostages with wide tired eyes and bruised bodies many of whom were covered blood.

“Trouble! A dozen raider maybe more I-I dunno!” she hurriedly spat out.

“Fuck-me-sideways, alright you boys stay here my partner and I will handle this.” He addressed every pony, he grabbed Black Dawn and led her out of the room by the shoulder.

“Okay okay, get up in that sniper’s nest I’ll take the low road and introduce them to the Red Queen got it?”

“Yeah, I do but”

“But what?” Trouble was speaking fast he needed to get shit done now, and this time wasting was aggravating him.

“What about these ponies they can’t fend for themselves.” Dawn didn’t mean that she was scared for herself, she wanted to say she could stay there and guard them as an excuse she felt ashamed but better shamed and alive then honourable and full of holes right?

“Hey you ponies, take those raider’s guns, Don’t! Leave this room! I’ll be back.” He then whispered into Dawn’s ear “Problem solved, now get into that fuckin’ nest!” he shoved her in the direction of the stair case, he threw his shotgun on his back and galloped for the first floor.

She was back at the sandbags she took the rifle and rested the bipod on them. She pressed her cheek against the stock and peered down the scope 15 raiders now, she chambered a round it made a pristine “cluk-cluk” almost as sweet a noise as the Red Queen’s. Something was euphoric about this weapon, it fueled her, something about it had gravity. Maybe it was it’s looks maybe it was it’s bullets.

She looked to her left Trouble was behind the sandbags where the sentries where stationed barely out of sight. He made a gesture with his hooves and metal digits, he made a tight cup pressed it against his head and lolled it back and opened his hand after this motion he raised 3 of the digits lowered one, then another and on the last he raised it and dropped his hoof onto his gun. Broke from cover and held the trigger, it wasn’t until the very last moment she realised what was happening; blow their brains out on the count of 3, what was so hard to understand about that?

Trouble volleyed them, killing four instantly throwing the now chunks of meat flying 4 feet back, Black found a target through her scope and fired. The rifle jumped if it weren’t for the bipod it probably would have fell off the building. She seen the barrel smoke and a head explode through that large scope. The scope glowed a bright green in the night helping her accuracy immensely, she never fired a gun before until tonight and this rifle made it easy for her. It was practically doing all the work itself.

Trouble had moved, she couldn’t even find him she saw another raider scanning for Trouble. They thought there was only one shooter. Wrong, she fired once more the breaker at the end of the barrel concealing the flash the round blew a hole in the raiders neck wide enough to feed a muffin through.

Trouble re-appeared, she seen the low glow of his visor, he was at their left flank all 9 of them that now stood where the patrol had fallen, bodies soon to form a mound.

He sprayed them but this time something different happened the barrel spat out red fire, literally fire! The rounds lit up the entire bowl 5 raiders caught in the inferno quick high pitched screams coming from their bodies before they were burned to cinders, Black took in a sharp breath the remaining four stood up and all opened fire at Trouble. He ducked behind some rocks the bullets perforating his cover, Dawn reacting on adrenaline found the raider nearest to her’s head aimed for the very crown and double tapped Crack-Crack, the bullets passed through all four raiders tearing chunks of meat from every pony’s bodies. The recoil of the first shot set her up for the second.

Trouble rose from his cover stared at Dawn and saluted, she felt proud of herself, she felt she proved her worth to Trouble but then again she only done what was expected of her, what did he promise 12,500? Sounded too good to be true...

Dawn pleased with her new toy abandoned Brick Jaw’s rifle and threw Bad News which had it’s own sling around her body, and put the magazines in her saddlebags.

She met Trouble on the second storey just outside the hostages room his helmet was off and he had a wide warm smile on his face “Fuckin’ lovely shootin kid, tellin ya I’ll make a killa outta you yet.” And clapped her on the shoulder. She oddly enough felt herself blushing.

Trouble addressed the hostages as a whole.

“The Good pony sent me for you, can you make it to Dead Water yourselves I’ve been paid to blow this place two mile high, the Good pony wants to send a message to raiders.”

One of the hostages a green stallion unicorn stepped forward to speak on the hostages behalf

“Yeah, should be clear thanks to you, we’ll need to keep their guns and we can’t exactly pay you...” The stallion shrank a little.

“The Good pony will see to my compensation sir, dun worry about it.” Trouble seemed confident in his words he called Black over he spoke in a hushed voice “Eh, did you see an office on the third storey by any chance?”

“Yeah had a painting behind it, Trouble there’s a locked ammo box on the roof if you can get into it.” Trouble heard what he needed.

“Sure kid how bout I show you a few tricks with a bobby pin and screwdriver? Oh and we need to get you some armor.” He gestured to all of her.

Black wasn’t sure what he meant about the pin and screwdriver but she just went with the flow, like watcher said she needed guidance. And this new “Friend.” of hers she didn’t want to say no to him.

She led Trouble up the stairs and into the office there was an old terminal with a smashed open screen on the desk.

He wasn’t interested in that he inspected the underside of the desk then finally turned his attention to the painting he mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “sly, dogs...”

He tore the painting from the wall revealing a concealed safe. Dawn was impressed with his ingenuity.

“Ha-ha, come ere kid imma show ya something, it takes years to master but better to start somewhere righ? He wedged the pin and screwdriver round inside and forced the lock a few times he twisted right to left until it began to give way he finally found the sweet spot.

The lock chimed open, inside was a few extra strength healing potions and a large briefcase, Trouble threw the potions into his saddlebags and slammed the briefcase on the desk carefully opening it.

Dawns eyes lit up. Inside there was a beautiful Pistol a silver slide, chrome body work, two sapphires on the grip and along the barrel engraved with expert skill was “Amigo.” Amigo had a large round for a large pistol and plenty of ammo to go with him.

Across from Amigo was a rather curious item it was a wrist mounted computer Pipbuck-3000 lite edition, it had multiple dials and buttons Trouble laughed and said “All yours kid, see that computer, it will probably serve you better than that piece I’ll fasten it for ya if ya want.”

“Why don’t you want it?” Dawn was suspicious if she discovered this with anyone she grew up around they’d beat her to death for this cache.

“Them wrist computers, Stable-tec, ain’t compatible with exoskeletons as for that piece, I got my own, that’s your Amigo now.”

Dawn smiled and took out the wrist computer gently with her magic she wrapped it around her left fore hoof and fastened it and finally strapped the leather around to cover it.

She hit what she suspected as the On button the screen dimly shone green. Lines upon lines of binary code appeared a horde of 0’s and 1’s then the screen read

“Stand by...” during this Trouble pocketed 2 orbs of some description that were underneath the pip-buck.

Black felt 3 pins shoot into her hoof she let out a cry, the pain was sharp but brief.

“You Alright?!?” Trouble insincerly asked her, not really caring her computer was attacking her.

The screen now read,

“Loading Bio-Data, Gene Make-up, Booting S.P.E.C.I.A.L” This sparked Dawn’s interest, special? she pressed the Pip-Buck close to her face the screen faded than reappeared it read

“YOU’RE SPECIAL !” What this ultra advanced piece of technology was a self esteem device?

Strength-4

Percetion-7

Endurance-4

Charisma -5

Agilty-6

Luck-9

“Huh, how did it work that out?” Dawn found herself saying aloud but it felt right, she couldn’t explain it but the machine wasn’t lying, The screen flashed once more

“Booting Inventory Organizer...”

Everything she had was in front of her eyes on the screen Amigo, Bad News her measly 80 bottle caps, all of it. The screen fading once more now it read

“Loading Navigational Systems...”

There she was in the centre of a room, the Pip-Buck knew where she was she stepped to the left i,t tracked her. It knew where she was down to an inch, she checked out the world map function the place she was, now was tagged “EverBright Mills/ Prison.” And down from that the perilous canyon straits had a name too “EverBright Canyon.”

“Loading S.A.T.S and E.F.S functionality

   (Stable Assisted Targeting Systems) (Eyes Forward Sparkle)”

Outside the screen of the Pip-Buck the frame of the screen began to glow around her, It was pointing at Trouble and half a dozen other readings Trouble was glowing a soft blue and so were the others but they were moving away from her Trouble spoke up.

“That’s an E.F.S it highlights all intelligent life-forms and gives them a threat level Blue means friendly Red means hostile, my helmets got one.” Good to know at least one of them knew what the fuck was going on.

“Here try breaking into that ammo box why don’t ya?” he threw her a dozen or so bobby pins and an old screwdriver. She did as he instructed her following by example and the lock opened with a “click” there was something very satisfying about it. Inside, Good News there was 3 more fully magazines for Bad News.

“Hey, Trouble there is no way we killed thirty-six raiders is there?”

“No but I took a few down on my way in though, but it still isn’t thirty-sex”

Dawn walked out on to the snipers nest when 2 red glows came into her E.F.S

“Shit two more!” Black cursed out, Trouble still smiled and replied.

“All yours, Try using S.A.T.S never had the honour me-self.”

Black set up her Bipod and two more raiders came into view. They seen they’re fallen comrades and ran over to their bodies Black wasn’t sure how to trigger S.A.T.S but before she could finish that thought a calmness swept over her body. Everything seemed slower, her head cleared. The only things she could seem to think about were those two raiders, she felt as if the rifle was an extension of her very being.

As if it were acting of its own accord, a bullet found its way into one raider’s skull before the other had time to blink a second shot punctured a hole in the pony’s neck.

Time returned to normal again, the serenity that had hijacked her body gone she looked at her Pip-Buck and seen a depleting bar refilling in the corner.

“Interesting.” Dawn thought aloud Trouble came in and spoke “Told ya that computer will serve ya better than that piece, now let’s blow this place and get paid.” Truer words were never spoken.

She found herself laughing in disbelief at the power this Pip-Buck bestowed upon her.

She took another look at her Pip-Buck her inventory and she selected Amigo and sure enough there he was in his case within her easy grasp, she took Amigo and all his ammo out and tossed the case Amigo was quite beautiful hell of a size too, she had a look on the other side of the barrel and it read at the bottom of the slide Magnum .50 that even sounded scary!

She was content with just letting Amigo’s handle hang out of the bag for a holster.

On the ground floor Trouble took out two black plastic blocks from his saddle bags they had a red L.E.D on top of them and were bound together with some duct tape, as well as a switch and number pad . Trouble punched in a few numbers and hit the switch on his way out he threw them against the oil tank they seen when first scouting the building. He gingerly trotted onto the EverBright Mills/ Prison entrance while he palmed and lit a cigarette with a fluorescent blue flame coming from a golden Zippo with some weird inscription Dawn didn’t get a chance to see. In the darkness he pivoted to face the building and took out a small object with a rubber Antenna he clasped it on his metal digits and squeezed.

The Building erupted with a purging flame, consuming everything within its immediate area shooting high up into the sky then the blast wave hit, it sent the hairs of Black’s mane flying backwards  her eyes watering, the sound was deafening Trouble just began to laugh whole heatedly the fire lightening up his face the spectacle reflecting in his pupils. “Kid Welcome to The Wasteland!”

Footnote : Level up.

New Perk: Black temptress -- +10% damage to the opposite sex and unique dialogue options with certain ponies.