Chapter 7: Night Light

Trouble was unconscious for most of the night. It wasn’t until Black and her saviour Night Light set up camp did he come round. They exchanged few words Dawn was never much good at talking.

Trouble clutched at his head groaned and forced himself up onto his flank he looked  Night Light up and down confused, then laughed to himself .

“Say ranger, didn’t your mother eva’ teach ya its bad manners to throw a grenade at a pony when they’re within danger close?”

The silver unicorn laughed, Trouble continued.

“What’s a ranger doing out here anyway, the NCR hauled your asses up north.”

Night Light spoke “Not me.” She answered coldly but tried to laugh it off.

“Hey ranger wahs your name?” Trouble was making quite good casual conversation Dawn had hardly managed to get a word from the ranger on their way out of the pass.

“Night Light, and yours?”

“Trouble.”

Night Lights jaw dropped.

“No Shit? The mercenary?” Trouble nodded a bemused look on his face he found it amusing his reputation was found among rangers.

“I’ve heard some pretty grim stories about you.”

“Like wah?”

“Your New Pegas heist.”

Trouble started laughing and Night Light joined in.

“It wasn’t really the grand scheme it was cooked up to be, it did it on impulse, drunk.”

Black butted in. “Eh what are you ponies talking about again.”

Night Light answered.

“Trouble here took over a rather exclusive casino on the New Pegas strip one night he brought down almost one hundred hired guns and made the remaining fifty to surrender.”

Trouble intervened “It was more like thirty dead twenty surrendered.”

“Why?”

Trouble answered for himself this time.

“They would nay let me in on behalf of me accent,” he put on a spiteful look and continued “Despite the fucking fact the casino was called The Luck of the Coltic.”

Night Light spoke after him her face beaming she was star struck by a mercenary legend.

“Do you want to know how he did it? He’s a genius”

Trouble raised his hoof “Anudder time, ranger.”

Night Light nodded and just basked in all of Trouble’s down played glory. Dawn was jealous of Trouble for some reason. He’s getting affection from ponies for what? Killing other ponies? The world seemed to work like that.

The two talked for a while more the two the Ranger and the Merc when Trouble asked.

“Is that a Valkyrie?” He gestured towards her rifle that she used to save him and Black.

“Yeah, take a look.” she levitated it over to Trouble he thoroughly inspected it peering down the sights checking the breach inspecting the stock feeling for its weight and weak points in the frame.

Night Light continued “Kept her in pristine condition as you can see.” She was clearly trying to suck up to him.

Trouble spoke this time after handing back her rifle “Mister Blues, had one o them, said it was da best gun eva made and sure enough after that it started appearing all over the shop.” It’s the Death Dealers and Stalker’s signature weapon.

“Yeah, that’s right hey, weren’t you a Death Dealer?” Black could tell from the expression on her face she knew he was she just wanted him to say something about it. Her over the top ass kissing fan girl act sickened her. But Dawn was going to say nothing she did help them afterall.

“Quite a high rankin one, buh tha was wah twenty years ago? Now I doubt our name still carries the same weight around here as it used ta.” He said it trying not to make eye contact, but there was hurt Dawn could sense it. There it was again though whenever Black dug a little deep into his past he goes from nostalgia to melancholy. Something must have went wrong, tragically wrong.

“I often heard rumours about your cutie mark.”

“Oh?” Trouble replied keen to her more about how awesome he is.

“I heard it was a cracked open skull with a crown made from bullets is that true? Can I see it?” Trouble laughed so hard he feel onto his side.

“I once heard muh cutie mark was a black void that steals your soul!”

The two broke into laughter in unison. The joke shooting right over her head.

Dawn felt left out, a bit of a third wheel.

“Hey Trouble how old are you?”

“thirty eight I think, wah age are you?” their banter was slowing at least.

“I’m only nineteen.”

“Fuck, nineteen and a ranger there’s two years training.” Night Light was glowing, she loved more than anything she just impressed Trouble.

Black butted in there was something on her mind and if she didn’t cut them off now

she was never going to say anything.

“Trouble what was that syringe you gave me?”

“That, my little pony was jet.”

Night Light burst in “You can’t give her jet!” Shocked at her idol.

Oh shit. It appears her butting has killed the harmony.

“We were surrounded by ninety ghouls and she was on the ground collapsed from exhaustion!”

Black was confused what was so bad about this jet.

“Is it bad he gave me it?”

“Yes, it’s a hardcore drug.” Night Light spat out.

 Dawn was shocked she had witnessed first hand what drugs did to a pony if they took some high powered ones. It wasn’t pretty they had to put 15 rounds into the pony’s chest before he stopped hacking at his lover’s corpse.

“No, it’s an amphetamine it’s hardly like I’m dosing her up on Stampede! Jet can be controlled.”

Dawn was still confused and Night Light fell silent.

“What’s a amphetamine?”

“It’s something that sups you up, lowers fatigue, reduces pain, sharpens your mind and makes you stronger, its twice as strong as an adrenaline rush and there is no crash when it runs out unlike adrenaline. Unless ya shoot to much of it.”

“Unbelievable...” Night Light murmured.

Trouble didn’t quite catch it but answered back “You don’t get where I am now without breaking a few rules.”

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There was an awkward silence for a while Night Light was cleaning her gun Black was gazing up at the sky and Trouble was enjoying a smoke, watching the ranger perofrm her intricate maintenance when he spoke up.

“Ranger, where ya off ta next?”

“Wherever I’m needed I suppose.”

Black knew where this was going.

“Me and the kid are heading for New Pegas wanna tag along?”

Night Lights Gray eyes lit up “I’d love to.”

Oh great now Trouble has fan mare for the road.

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The figure was less than pleased with her tale “There are no Marizona rangers out there no more the NCR hauled them off to fight the griffins. Place has been a free-for-all since.” He began to pace around the room again here it comes Dawn thought.

“That’s what Trouble said.” The Figure darted a look at Dawn.

“He said there are no more rangers in Marizona, to me anyway she was asleep. Trouble had her figured for a renegade, one of the rangers that didn’t agree with the treaty.”

“Do you know what treaty that was miss Black?” Dawn merely shook her head.

“The ranger unification treaty. When the NCR tried to expand into Marizona the rangers were their main opposition so they made them an offer join the NCR and serve under them. For the good of the ponies from the NCR and they would make Marizona NCR turf. It would be under their jurisdiction, their military patrolling its borders and keeping it safe. Or else.”

“So what happened the Rangers after they signed it?”

“They were all shipped off to kill griffins,” said the figure grimly “over four hundred years of loyal service to the ponies of Equestria broken because of the NCR. They see the Rangers as expendables. Every last one of them is a walking death threat. Truth be told their the best damned chance Equestria has. They’re training and knowledge are unmatched. If you don’t count their counterparts the Stalkers or the C.P.L.A’s Wolfpack.”

“But in that frozen hell it means very little all that desert training, survival techniques, the area was once safe you know, Marizona. But since the rangers left its been a.”

“Free-for-all.” Dawn finished his sentence.

“Exactly, the NCR didn’t hold up their end of the deal but the rangers don’t know that. If them poor bastards are still alive...” The figure had anger and remorse in his voice.

The figure sat down again.

“So you made camp after the pass had a chat fell asleep, then what?”

“Purists, Gabriel’s trumpet.” Dawn remembered it darkly they were some pretty tough ponies.

“You poor bastards.” The figure stonily sympathised.