“Orange is down!” Divinity shouted as loud as she could.

Of course Orange was down. We were five minutes into the Crystal Empire, and already we were being shot at. By sparkling ponies! Now that’s both insulting and embarrassing.

So, we crossed that border into the Crystal Empire. My hooves went from walking on dirt and train rails, to walking on crystal roads. We had difficulty following the train tracks after that, due to the massive amounts of Crystal Rubble, which meant we had to take several detours. We had also decided as a group, that it was safe to finally undo Orange’s bindings. And she actually proved to be somewhat trustworthy. We didn’t give her the liberty of having a gun, however. She had to do with a pool cue that we found in a Crystal Bar.

Well, should say that during one of our several detours, we were intercepted by a five of the Crystal Ponies. They attempted to mug us, for everything we owned. Divinity was not having any of that, and quickly filled his Crystal Face with shotgun shell. That spurred off the shoot-out. We would have been fine, beside the fact that we were both outnumbered and outgunned. Their equipment was definitely better than ours.

Divinity and I both managed to find cover behind a half-destroyed building. Carrot Cake had done his disappearing act down one of the alleyways between two destroyed Crystal Buildings. He was good at that. And I’m sure he’d be back within a few seconds, biting out the throat of one of the Crystal Muggers.

Orange had decided it was a good idea to tango with a pony that looked like he had a chainsaw on his hoof. She quickly found that wood is not as good for blocking a constantly whirring blade as one might think they were. Before the mare could realize it had happened, her pool cue was reduced mere splinters. And I couldn’t tell from this angle, but I’m pretty sure Crystal Chainsaw had taken off her arm entirely at the shoulder. Based off of the intense cries of pain coming from her, he probably did.

I don’t know why I cared so much. She was one of the ponies that attempted to kidnap and enslave me, but those wretched cries of pain made me spur into action. I didn’t realize it until late, but I was thinking about my sister. I didn’t want anypony to end up like she had. Missing limbs had to be worse than a missing back. I jumped out of my cover, and levitated out both pistols, and activated SATS. Six shots, straight to the head of Chainsaw. Even at medium-range, four shots still hit home, and his red bar blinked out before he got a chance to do any more damage to Orange. Of course! Even their blood sparkled!

I wrapped Orange in my magic before the Crystal Muggers could start another rain of bullets, and dragged her to cover. That massive blood trail was not reassuring. And my suspicions were completely confirmed. Not only was I dragging a near-unconscious Orange, I was also dragging her completely severed, and utterly limp front right hoof.

I broke. That was the moment I really realized where I was. I was not in the Stable anymore. I was outside. In the wasteland. And it was horrible. Unforgiving. I wanted to curl up and give up right there. Let the wasteland take me. But I couldn’t do that. Every time I took a look at the bare stump left on Orange’s shoulder, the picture of Butterscotch that I received on my Pip-Buck when I left the Stable flashed into my mind. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t. I had to stick around, so I could see Butterscotch again. Funny, how killing other ponies didn’t break me. Funny, how watching two supposedly innocent ponies have their heads blown off didn’t break me. Funny, how a severed arm did break me.

I didn’t know how many healing potions it would take to heal the bloody mess of Orange’s shoulder, so I just took all six of my remaining ones left and shoved them at Divinity. “Use these until Orange’s wound closes. Make her drink them. Don’t let her deny them.” I leviitated out the Hydra I had found back at my house. “And what does this do?”

Divinity considered it for a moment. “Hydra. That stuff makes you really hard to kill. Bullets hit you, then they just fall out at the speed of your regeneration.”

“Can it be used on Orange?”

“No. I’ve never seen a pony healed that drastically by Hydra. But it does some pretty serious stuff to-”

I didn’t bother hearing the rest of what she had to say. I injected the needle into my arm, and instantly felt my heartbeat speed up. It was going too fast. That couldn’t be healthy. “I’m going to take these fuckers out. Don’t worry about me. Worry about Orange. Carrot and I have these Crystal Fuckers. Let me see your shotgun.”

And she gave it to me. The amount of anger-fueled adrenaline surging through my body gave me the energy to go above and beyond. The magical energy I needed. I walked out of my cover.

With seven guns trailing behind me, surrounded in my magical energy. Three pistols, three rifles, and a shotgun. And the hunt began.

I sent each gun after a different pony. Most of them were unfortunate enough to have two guns go after them. Shotgun blast to the face for one. I was certainly learning from Divinity. They tried to fight back. And I must say, they tried. But a pony on an anger high with Hydra flowing through their veins? Bullets don’t do much to hurt them.

Each remaining pony got a rifle and pistol each, and I filled them with led. They couldn’t really fight back. I was aiming the guns at them without magic, and firing into them at point-blank rage. And I never even moved from my spot just outside of cover. Before I knew it, the area was covered in their Crystal Blood, and I had been firing into them long after they were dead.

And then the Hydra left my system. Seriously? A minute? That’s all I got?I stumbled back behind cover, suddenly aware of the pain I was in from the bullets. Hydra may have healed the injuries, but it certainly did not dull the pain of it.

“How’s Orange?” I asked. I did not like the amount of blood that was behind our temporary shelter from the bullets.

“She’s lost a lot of blood. But it looks like she’ll make it. At least she will to Crystal City. Maybe that have somepony there that can help her better than we can?”

I nod, and sit down beside the injured mare. Carrot Cake had shown up some time ago. I lost track of when.

“Hey Orange. You okay?” She nodded weakly. She was shaking badly. She thought she was going to die. I could tell from the weakened look in her eyes. And before I realized it, I started telling her about Butterscotch. I told her about our time together as children. The way she visited me in medical every day after my incident with my back. The way she would always try to crack jokes, but due to her nervousness, she would end up butchering them. I told her how I laughed anyway. She calmed down. But I didn’t want to stop talking. I just broke. I needed something to keep me from doing something stupid. Butterscotch was my anchor. And for some reason, Orange made me think about my sister.

My story lasted for an hour. Orange, Divinity, or Carrot never complained or interrupted. They all seemed intent on listening.

Vanilla!
Progress is going great out here. And wouldn’t you know it? You’re almost twenty four hours gone. If you’re uh… don’t want to talk about it.
Legs are kinda new to me, since the only cybernetics I’ve made in the past were a spine, a back, and a few eyes. But regardless of that, You’re sister will be, uh… not good as new. But good in a few days.
And hey, Vanil. Sorry this ever happened to you. Your father and I were good friends. When he passed, I promised I would never let anything happen to you. I’m so sorry.
~Fix Ser

I want a progress report.
~Overmare, Stable 81

Fuck off.

01:17. That’s the time that I was awoken by Divinity for my watch. We were sleeping in shifts, each one of use taking a four hour shift, and one of us was always awake to keep guard. Orange, of course, got an exemption. I was actually surprised that Carrot Cake was sleeping. I didn’t expect ghouls to sleep.

We had bunkered down in a Crystal Bakery. There was plenty of two hundred year old stale bread to go around. None of us ate it. I had actually lost my appetite.

Upon being awoken, I grabbed myself a rifle and walked outside. And I stood guard for a couple of hours, before I heard a low hum. Like music?

That didn’t make any sense. I had turned off my Pip-Buck radio ages ago. I couldn’t help but facehoof myself. Common sense, Vanilla. If it’s not your Pip-Buck, it’s some other source. And the source was getting closer. It sounded like some kind of military marching theme. It was actually somewhat invigorating. Made me want to march.

I found myself drawn to the music. I wanted to know what the source was. But then it suddenly cut out and I lost track of where it might have been. I was actually somewhat disappointed.

“Boo!”

Of course I jumped. Who wouldn’t? It’s the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of a destroyed world that probably wanted me dead.

I turned to the source of the noise, pointing my rifle its way. I was surprised to find a metal orb, with two antennae, and small, thin wings. It was painted black. Where the paint peeled up, I saw dark gray metal. Now that I think about it, it resembled some magical bug I read about in some book all those ages ago.

And thank goodness. There’s finally something in this place that didn’t sparkle.

“Ha! If you could get a good look at you face right now-” I made sure my face was that of an annoyed anger. “Er… never mind. How’s it going for you, Stable-pony?” The thing motions what I supposed was its face at my Pip-Buck.

“It’s uh… it’s going good.” I lowered my rifle, but kept it ready. This thing didn’t pose an immediate threat. That didn’t mean I had to keep my guard down.

“That’s good. That’s good. Look, I know you Stable dwellers. Your type is always trying to become a hero of some such. Don’t even bother. Ever since the Lightbringer activated the Gardens of Equestria there hasn’t been much else anypony had been able to do. So, don’t play hero. Your heroism will be unwanted and unnecessary.”

Oh, the nerve of this robot. Almost enough to make me want to shoot it. “The hell do you mean, ‘don’t be a hero’? I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

“Nope. If you can, head back to your Stable. If not, keep going to Crystal City, and build a life for yourself there. Unless some cataclysmic event occurs within the next year or so, your help is really, really unwanted.”

I hoped she could see how red my face was. “I don’t even care. I’m not out here to play hero. I just want to survive. I’m just out here to find another Stable door.”

“And the Lightbringer ran out here to chase down her childhood crush. And guess what. She took out the old Redeye and The Goddess.”

Redeye. Didn’t Carrot mention a pony like that? “Old Redeye?”

“Two Redeyes. The old one, a little bit of a tyrant. The new one? A stallion slave that looked up to the old Redeye. He followed in the old one’s hoofsteps. Even gouged out his right eye just so he could replace it with a cybernetic one.”

I cringed. “He mutilated himself? Why?”

“Because he looked up to Redeye. He wanted to be just like his old master. So, a year after Redeye’s death, new Redeye took over the operations. Built himself up from scratch. And without the Lightbringer to stop him, and everypony else staying away from him so they can rebuild their own homes, he’s managed to rebuild some of Redeye’s empire.”

“Fuck… you’re kidding me, right? Alright… so how long has it been since the Lightbringer activated the Gardens of Equestria?”

“Three years. That’s two years that new Redeye has been rebuilding. And just like the old Redeye, he has an army of supporters.”

I groaned, and rubbed my head. I had a headache. “Look. I am not out here to play hero, okay? Just…. Just let new Redeye, or old Redeye, or whatever, do what they want. Let the Lightbringer do whatever they want. I just need a Stable, preferably abandoned. And a way to transport a two ton door.”

The robot buzzed. It sounded like laughing. “Why not take the train? It goes to Hoof’s Ridge station every three days, then back to Crystal City.”

I groaned. My headache got worse. “You’re telling me that I could have gone straight to Crystal City if I would have just waited by my Stable for a little while?”

“I didn’t say that exactly. But yeah, I suppose that’d be the case if your Stable is near Hoof’s Ridge Station.”

“It’s right underneath it.”

“Yep. You would have saved yourself a lot of pain.”

“Of course I would have.” I rubbed my face. “Ugh. Do you have a name, so I know which annoying face to avoid from now on?”

“Oh, I have a name. But I’m going to give you a fake one instead. You can call me Mask. I took over Watcher’s job of guiding Stable ponies in this area ever since Watcher retired way back when. And you’re the first one I’ve found in three years.”

I laid down. I was done. My head was pounding. Whoever was on the other line of that transmission was really annoying me. “Just go away. I’ll listen to more wasteland problems and shit later.”

“Fine. Just watch out for the Remnant. They aren’t very happy with Stable dwellers after what the Lightbringer did to them five years ago.”

The thing gave a quick zzzt! and started to hover away, the military marching music playing again. I grabbed it in telekinesis before it could get too far, and opened up it’s back. Yes. Transceiver. Just what I was hoping for. Using my smarts, and some serious help of the Pip-Buck, I was able to trace Mask’s transmission. It was coming to a place far to the south of here. Another Tenpony Towers transmission. I’ll have to go there one day in the future.

With a huff, I let the floating bot go, and it sputtered away, the song playing, with the occasional annoying buzz. Then it exploded with an electrical blast, and fell to the ground. Guess I played around with the insides a little bit too much when I was tracing the transmission.

I checked the time on my Pip-Buck. Shit. 05:31. I was late waking Carrot up for his shift.

Thanks a lot Mask.

Butterscotch,
I’m so tired of all of the beautiful. Everything, and I mean everything in the Crystal Empire sparkles. After a while, it hurts the eyes. Then you get used to it. Then, it just gets annoying. Ugh. But, I may be one step closer to a way to replace the Stable door. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a Stable in the Crystal Empire. And maybe, just maybe, It’ll be abandoned and still have a door.
I might be back soon! I love you lil’ sis. I can’t wait to see you again.
~Vanil.

We were walking again. Much slower and way more carefully than before. I was keeping a solid eye on my EFS, making sure nothing popped up that was hostile. Orange was on Carrot’s back, still too weak and in shock to be able to walk herself on three hooves. Divinity had taken the lead, and I kept to the back.

I insisted that Carrot Cake take the chainsaw. He complied quite easily, and now had the dangerous device on his front right hoof. I myself was beginning to get over encumbered. While I wasn’t the one actually looting the bodies, all of the treasure, which were mostly weapons and ammo, were getting piled on me. True, the metal spine and back did help. But not entirely. It was actually starting to take a bit of a toll on my back.

I had also failed to mention my conversation with Mask earlier. But honestly, I didn’t really find it worth mentioning. Instead, to entertain myself and pass the time I set the channel to Crystal City Radio.

For those of you that haven’t heard the news from good ol’ DJ-Pon3 themself, DJ Pon3 is stepping down. That’s right. They’re retiring. Unless somepony wants to fill the old speakers place, the radio might be cut down. Which means ponies outside of the Crystal City area won’t be receiving the daily updates that they might need. I would take over the job, but I uh… heh-heh. I don’t exactly have the bravado to throw my voice at millions of ponies. I’m quite alright with the thousands here in the Crystal Empire.
On another note, you remember how I said Cybermare was coming to Crystal City? Seems I was right in that prediction. I should be a seer. Anyway, she’s cleaving a path through the Crystal Empire now. And Cybermare. If you’re listening in on this, keep an eye out for the Remnant. That nasty bunch of pegasi isn’t as forgiving as they were three years ago.
Now, Here’s ‘A Good Time’ by the lovely Scarlet Melody!

There they were again. First, Mask mentions something about the Remnant. Now Voice is talking about them too? Who, or what exactly were they? Whatever they were, ponies were making a big deal out of them. Well, if they were such a big deal, I would avoid them.

After turning the radio off, and pulling the ear bloom out, I walked up next to Carrot. “You’ve been around for a while, right? What’s the Remnant?”

Carrot scoffed a little. “Classic Stable-pony question. The Remnant, or as they like to call themselves, The Enclave, are what’s left of the, well, the Enclave after the Lightbringer basically destroyed them five years ago. Bunch of irrational pegasi is what they are. Most of the other pegasi left the Enclave and joined the rebuild effort. But them? They don’t understand that what they did was wrong. So now, about five thousand pegasi that refused to leave the Enclave now from what everypony in Equestria call the Remnant.” He laughs. “I’ve never actually killed a member of the Enclave or the Remnant. Their armor is more terrifying than even that of the Steel Rangers. Makes me think of bugs. Especially scorpions. They even have strange little scorpion tails at the end. And the better suits of armor? They actually have venom coursing through the tails.”

I groan. Threat after threat keeps popping up in the wasteland. Why was the world so eternally fucked?

Three red bars pop up on my EFS. “This way.” I say, and point a direction for Carrot to change course, moving away from the bars. Not until they disappeared did I return to our original course. I was getting used to moving around the Crystal Ruins. They’re cracking and falling patterns were forming into a pattern, and it was getting predictable. Of course, I was the only pony here smart enough to realize that. When Carrot Cake kept walking into dead ends, I decided I would have to take lead to keep from getting us lost. “I’m taking the lead. Watch my flank.”

“That’s what she said.” Said Carrot as he moved behind me to let me take the lead.

I smiled. “Shut it.” While they could be annoying at times, Carrot’s wisecracks definitely helped with the mood. I planned on turning around in a flash soon. And so help me Celestia, if his head was angled wrong when I turned around then… Could ghouls feel pain?

“Carrot. Can ghouls feel pain?”

“Yep. It’s extremely dumbed down though. A bullet would feel more like a pinprick. It’d take something super serious, like an intense, slow crushing to actually hurt us. I suppose intense neurological torture could work too.”

“I didn’t think you knew what neurological meant.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “I’m not stupid, Miss IQ. Just not as smart as you. What’s your IQ at anyway?”

“Last time I took a test in the Stable, they put me at one seventy three. It was the uh… the highest in my Stable.” I didn’t want to sound like a braggart. But it was the truth.

“Impressive. A hundred seventy three. Will it be useful out here where brains don’t matter anymore? Where it’s all about strength and the ability to survive?”

I turn down another road. A road that I had correctly guessed would be completely devoid of rubble. “Oh. You have no idea how useful my brains have been out here already. True, they haven’t been as useful as my guns. Or my wings. Or my Pip-Buck. But if you think being smart out in the wasteland is useless, then you’re wrong. Because ever since I’ve taken the lead, we haven’t hit any dead ends. If it weren’t for my intelligence, I would be dead. I would have died a long time ago.” My voice was rising. And I don’t know why, but I was breaking down in tears. Was I really hurt so badly by a simple, small, basically harmless insult to my intelligence? No one in the Stable had insulted me before. I was sure Carrot Cake couldn’t see my face from behind me, but... if I wasn’t careful, he would hear my sniffles.

My attempt to hide it but my sudden mood shift was noticed. He may not have been as smart as me, but he was perceptive. “Vanilla? Are you okay?”

“Shut up. Leave me alone.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think I would insult you with that question. I’m not exactly the most… charismatic pony in the world. I don’t communicate with people well. Sorry if I got on your nerves. If you want, I could just leave.”

I turned around to face him. His head was hung low, and he was looking at the ground. Was he actually ashamed? Believe it or not, I did consider sending him away. But ultimately I decided against it. Not while he looked so guilty.

“Hey. Sorry Carrot. I uh… I didn’t mean to snap on you there…” Hey look. Orange was finally coming back around. Maybe she’d be easier to talk to than Carrot was right now. “Hey Carrot, would you mind taking the lead again?”

The ghoul nodded, Goddesses, why did he look so somber?, and walked ahead of me to take the lead.

I positioned myself between Carrot and Divinity, who was watching the back. I stared at Orange, who was still draped over Carrot’s back, and waited for her eyes to meet mine. When they finally did, her eyes were full of exhausted pain.

“It hurts…”

I walked closer to her. “I know. We did the best we could. But four potions would only close the wound. And we need the last two in case anything worse happens.”

She nodded, though I still think she was too out of it to really listen. She was probably just finding comfort in my voice alone. She reminded me of my sister…

Before I knew it, I had pulled her off of Carrot’s back and was hugging her. She was surprised at first, but then wrapped her last remaining arm around me.

“Thank you… thank you so much Vanilla. I don’t know why you’re trying to help me, but I appreciate it. I was so horrible to you when we first met. I’m glad there are still some decent ponies in the wasteland.”

She slowly let me go. Seemed that a hug was all she needed. At least, for now. It took her a moment to gain her balance on three hooves, but she managed. She tried to walk forward, but stumbled. I managed to keep her from falling by catching her in my magic. “Watch it. Don’t strain yourself.” She gave me a weak smile, and took a few more steps forward, this time managing to maintain her balance.

“I think I can walk myself for a little while. Thank you.”

Despite what she said, I leaned against her, offering my support, which she accepted. “Turn right here Carrot. How are you feeling, Orange?”

She paused for a moment to rub her stump with her free hoof before moving forward again. “It hurts. And occasionally I have this pain where the leg used to be. Like a ghost.”

“Phantom pain. It’s a psychological thing.”

She nodded. “I guess. Why do you care about me? Why are you protecting me? I enslaved you. I was the one that put the bomb collar on your neck.”

I shrugged a little. “Forgive and forget, I suppose. The others didn’t really get as much of a chance as you did.” No. Idiot Vanilla. That’s not what she meant. She’s not asking why you spared her. She’s asking why you’re so nice to her. I gave myself a mental facehoof. “At least, That’s what it was at first. But after the incident, you started to remind me of my sister. You remember her. I told you all about her. Butterscotch Candy. You have a nervousness that’s similar to hers. And uh… the missing limb thing.”

She nods in understanding. “Yeah. Thank you, again Vanilla.”

I smiled, and opened up to speak to her, before my face met with Carrot’s flank. I jumped back, and Orange fell to the ground without my support.

I spit. “Gross! Grossgrossgrossgrossgroooosssssss! Carrot Cake! Why the hell did you stop?”

“Dead end.” I looked forward. No. That was impossible. That wall of rubble wasn’t supposed to be there. I calculated it in my head!

“You did go right, right?”

“Of course I went right right.” Shut up Carrot Cake. Don’t mock me. “Why wouldn’t I follow Brainymare’s instructions?”

I helped Orange stand up, realizing far too late that we were in a dead end.

And before I knew it, seven particularly raggedy looking ponies had pinned the four of us against a wall. And of course, the ponies were sparkling.

Once again, they were more well-armed than the rest of us. I couldn’t think of a plan. They were threatening us again. They wanted everything we had, and they’d leave us be. They even wanted to take Divinity hostage, as some kind of ‘insurance that we wouldn’t follow them.’ The nerve of them…

And yet, I actually couldn’t think of a plan. We were trapped, without cover, outgunned and outnumbered. Carrot couldn’t perform his disappearing act, since there were no alleys or open windows to disappear into. Divinity almost raised her shotgun to blast one of them. I actually had to tell her to stop. Obviously, not everyone out here realized when they would lose a fight.

As they approached, I thought harder. I needed a distraction. Or a way to stall. “Well, uh, there are a few things in our bags that are basically useless. I have some, uh, some things that only work when they’re attached to my back.” I turned to show them my back.

They’re eyes widened. “Holy shit. It’s the Cybermare. The same one that took out Juke’s gang?”

A little bit of confusion from me. Did word really spread around that quickly in the Crystal Empire. I put on my toughest mean look I could give. “Yeah. That’s right. That’s me. And if you screw with me and my friends, I’ll do the exact same thing to you that I did to them.”

Four of the seven bars turned from red to green as more than half of our assailants turned tail and fled. Hah! They actually bought it. Unfortunately the last three didn’t seem as intimidated. Fortunately, we were evenly matched.

“Divinity, do your trick.” And before one could react to her words, they received a shotgun to the face, followed by a head-splosion.

This spurred the other two into action. Luckily, Carrot and I were both ready for a moment like this. Carrot ran forward, his hoofsaw powering on.

Two pistols, levitated out of my saddlebags. SATS. Six shots. Five hit home in his head. Dead in less than four seconds.

I heard a loud bang, and turned toward Carrot’s asaillee. He had managed to fire a rifle round into the ghoul’s chest. Of course, the ghoul barely reacted to the ‘pinprick pain,’ and started slicing and biting at the Crystal Mugger. He was downed within a seconds.

Carrot raises the blood-spattered saw. “You know what Vanilla? You were right. This chainsaw thing really is fun!”

That earned a sheepish smile from Orange, “Sorry I couldn’t help out.”

Carrot grinned. “No probably Three Hooves. Yo, Vanilla. Sorry I ever doubted you. Never would have thought of using my radio identity to make a couple of raiders back off. Obviously, brains are useful for something out here.”

I wave off his comment. “It wasn’t my original plan. It just kind of happened. Glad it did though. Otherwise we might be armorless and down a friend, or all dead.”

Divinity sighs. “You know what they were going to do, right? What they meant when they wanted me as a hostage?”

I started to walk out of the dead end. I had already put that puzzle together a long time ago. “Yep. They were probably going to rape you. Probably be a gang rape.”

My three allies look at each other, exchanging glances.

“She’s a smart mare. Gotta give her credit for her brains.” I hear Carrot say.

And my three allies followed me out.

Butterscotch,
You didn’t reply last time I sent a message. You’re usually an early riser, but I guess you’re probably still resting since you just lost your back legs recently and all.
Three ponies that I previously considered my acquaintances are now my friends. For sure. The first one is Carrot Cake. He’s an earth pony, and a ghoul (you know, one of those things that invaded our Stable). He can be a bit of an ass, but at least her tries, you know? The second is a unicorn by the name of Divinity. She’s not one for words. I’ve only got three sentences and an incredibly shortened life story out of her. Now that I think about it, I barely know anything about her. But I do like the fact she likes to blow off faces with a shotgun.
And the third, is an earth pony mare named Orange. Her parents must have been very creative in naming her. Her whole body is orange. She’s been through a lot. More than anyone else in our group. Mostly because she’s lost a limb. Like you. She actually reminds me of you. She has your same nervous vibe.
…
Butterscotch, would it be weird to say that I’ve fallen for somepony that tried to enslave and kill me? Literally less than a day ago? I don’t know why, but I just…
Nevermind. I guess you wouldn’t understand. Love you little sis. Message me soon.
~Vanil.

Whenever the make-shift gate that surrounded Crystal City game into view, I made a break for it, and left my other friends in the dust. I must have looked like an attack, because the guards on the wall at the gate aimed their guns at me.

“Stop right there!” I skidded to a halt. “No further. Let your group catch up. Then we can start negotiating whether you can get inside or not.” I nodded, nothing but ready to comply. My friends soon caught up, Orange moving the slowest due to her missing limb. Finally, safety!

“Are any of you ponies insane? Or flesh eaters?” He eyed Carrot at that statement.

Carrot scoffed. “Oh please! You accuse me of eating flesh? How can I have a hunger for pony meat. Nope, this stomach is specifically devoted to two hundred year old Sugar Bombs and a few plants.”

The guard seemed satisfied enough at the answer, albeit annoyed. “Any of you Remnant sympathizers?”

I shook my head. “I’ve never ever seen a member of the Remnant in my life. I couldn’t tell you what they look like. And I can assure you that none of my companions have ever shown signs of any distrustful or Remnant-ish behavior.” I gave a sheepish smile. Your social stupidity is showing again Vanilla.

Again, the guard gave a nod, satisfied. “You seem good enough. Please keep any weapons that you have that are larger than a rifle at the gate. If you want to trade them, come back here.”

Lucky us, none of us had anything larger than a rifle, considering the biggest gun we had was a rifle.

And so, we crossed the gate. And of course, Crystal City shined. Well, yes, it did shine. It wa in the Crystal Empire, and everything there shined. But no, I mean it shined. The moment I walked inside, I spotted a crowd of ponies negotiating trade with a pony at a jewelry stand. Which there were ton of. But there weren’t just jewelry stands. It seemed there were shops for everything. Medicine, guns, armor. There were some shops that specialized in weapon mods, and some in special types of ammo. Some just sold junk.

Before I even realized it, I had migrated over to a jewelry stand. My eyes had landed on a particularly nice pair of Smoky Diamond earrings that I knew would just look perfect on my ears. They matched my eyes!

“You have a nice eye miss. That ;particular type of gem is really rare. But- Oh! You’re that Cybermare, the one I heard on the radio!”

“How much for them? The earrings. How much?”

“Well… since you’re radio famous and all, I could give ‘em to you for… thirty thousand caps.”

My gaze slowly drove from those beautiful earrings to his face. “Caps?”

“Dontcha know by now? The currency used in the wasteland is bottle caps. Nopony uses bits anymore. Long dead currency.”

I quickly found myself migrating away from the jewelry stand. “Sorry. That’s out of my price range.”

My friends joined up with me soon enough. “Whatsa matter? Can’t afford the special jewels, Newbie?” Seriously, Carrot. Your incessant teasing is not appreciated.

So, instead of fueling his teasing, I ignored his question and asked my own. “Any idea where I could find a Stable?”

Divinity pointed to the top of Crystal Castle. “Ask the mayor. The mayor’s office is at the very top floor of the castle.”

I looked up at the top of the castle. That was a very, very inconveniently long walk.

With a sigh, I turned back to the rest of my group. “Well, are we going?”

Divinity simply turned away. “Nah. I thank you for helping me get here and all. I would have definitely died if it weren't for you and the ghoul, but I was honestly just using you.” Well, there went our friendship down the drain. “See you around I guess. Right Vanilla.”

I sigh. “Maybe.”

And with that, Divinity walked away. Leaving me behind for good. I turned to Orange.

“Oh. I don’t think I can really climb stairs in my current condition. I’m just fine staying down here, thank you.” I nodded in understanding. “But, uh, Vanilla. To tell you the truth, I’m going to hitch the next most convenient ride to New Appleoosa. You know, stop my slaving activities and such. Raise my foals.” She smiles, a little sadly. “See you later Vanilla? I’ll make sure and repay you the next time I see you.”

Fake smile for her, Vanilla. Fake smile. Why did I feel a small part of me die inside? “Yeah Orange, see you around.” I gave her a quick hug, then turned to the ghoul. “I suppose you’re going to go about the wasteland again, huh? Continue your wanderer career?”

He smiles widely. His eye was slipping out again, but he caught it. Why did it seem to mostly due that when he smiled? “Nah. I think my wandering career is just about done. I found a new career. Helping ponies that don’t know jack shit about the wasteland learn about the wasteland. Starting with you.”

“Thanks. But I’m not stupid.”

“But you’ve only seen about three percent of what the wasteland has to throw at ponies. Trust me, the wasteland is going to try its hardest to break you. Better to have somepony that’s been around for 200 years showing you the ropes, huh?” His smile widened. His eye fell out.

“Could you push your eye back into place?” I gave him my best smile. Maybe I did actually have a friend out here. True, he was disgusting, rude, obnoxious, and a bit of a prick.

But hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

“Let’s go sell these extra guns, and get going on our way to the top floor of the castle, huh?’

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

I was exhausted. Why did they have to make the building so tall? And why couldn’t they install and elevator?

I collapsed at the top of the stairs. Carrot Cake, of course, bounded to the top. “Poor pony. How many rests did you take?”

“Seven.” I unsteadily rose to my hooves. We were finally at the top floor. Just a few moments break. Just a few moments.

As I stood there, panting and sweating, I recounted my little excursion up the Castle stairs. I saw a large variety of different creatures. Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi. My first time to see a pegasus in the wasteland was when I entered Crystal City. But they weren’t all I saw. Six-foot-tall dogs. Griffins. Alicorns?

Carrot explained the Alicorns to me. Apparently, some horrible creature that called herself the Goddess was creating Alicorns as an army to eventually overthrow the old Redeye and take over Equestria for herself. Her original plan was to use Redeye to create male alicorns but apparently those didn’t come easily.

I sifted through the items in my bag using my Pip-Buck. I was finally up 360 caps. Bad news? I was almost out of 10 mil ammo. After a silent debate with myself, I used my wrench to disconnect Pegasus Pride, and put on Surgeon’s Toys. After giving the saw and drill a test whirl, I folded their long arms against my back. Didn’t want to look like I was out to assassinate the mayor now, was I?

Finally, I had caught my breathe. I began my walk to the door with Carrot following behind me. Just as I reached out to open the door with my magic, it flew open. Standing in the doorway was a blue pegasus with a goofy grin on her face and goggles over her eyes. “Oh hey there. Take it you're here to talk with the mayor?”

I gave a small nod. “Yeah. Take it you just finished a conversation with them? And based off of your grin, you got something you wanted?”

She laughed. “Oh no. I actually just got fired. But it’s the reason I got fired that I’m quite happy. Some incident with a Brahmin. The story’s pretty funny. I couldn’t retell it and give it the glory it deserves. So, whatever. Nice back by the way.” And with that, she moves around me and heads to the stairs.

Carrot watches her go, most noticeably watching her flank. “I like her. I’ll have to keep her face commited to memory in case I ever see her again.”

I rolled my eyes and walked into the office, making sure to close the door behind me so Carrot couldn’t follow me inside.

The mayor was a pudgy little thing. Not quite obese, but definitely overweight. She had a light blue mane and tail, and light gray mane. And she sparkled. Her cutie mark was a scroll and a quill. She had a label with Opal written on it standing on her desk. Mayor Opal, huh?

She noticed me come in, and looked up from the paper she was reading. “I just got done firing our sheriff. I’m a little booked looking for a replacement. If there’s something you need, make it quick.”

I took off Runner’s Fedora and placed it to my chest while giving a small bow. “Yes ma’am. My name is Vanilla Cream. I’m the Cybermare.”

She nodded a little. “I’ve heard of you yes. Voice speaks quite highly of you, even though you haven’t done anything special in my books.”

I placed my hat back upon my head. So she’d be a little bit of a hard case, huh? “Yes. I suppose you’re right. Well, I’m looking for a Stable. Preferably one that’s abandoned and still has a door. And I also need a way to transport to Hoof’s Ridge Station quickly.” I paused, waiting for an answer. Goddesses, let someone that’s not undead help me in this wasteland.

“I could help you, Vanilla.”

“Really? Oh thank-”

“But I want your help with something.”

I had started to hop up and down with joy, but suddenly settled down. “Uh. Of course. Whatever you need.”

“I’ll give you the location of Stable 5 if you do me a favor. We’ve recently lost contact with one of our small settlement communities in the southwest section of the Crystal Empire. And it just so happens there have been reports of Remnant activity in that section. Bluesky was supposed to check it out, but I just fired her for her mistake. So, if you go check out Liverpool, and come back alive with any kind of report, I’ll give you the location of Stable 5, and a healthy sum of caps. Let’s say 1000.”

Of course. A pony was asking me to throw myself at the very thing I had been told to avoid up until now.

“What’s so important about Liverpool?”

“They’re the town that supplies us with the coal we need to run our train to Hoof’s Ridge. They struck a coal vein down there some fifty years ago. So, if you do this, and successfully link them back to us, you’ll get your Stable, 1000 caps, and the quick transportation you need.”

“Deal!” Sweet. I got everything I needed in one simple task. Problem was, how would I deal with the Remnant?

“Very well then. Good luck out there Vanilla.”

I smiled at her. “Thanks.” I turned and left the room, Carrot Cake soon joining me. And lucky for me, Liverpool was marked on my Pip-Buck map.

The trek to Liverpool took less than an hour. An hour of what was thankfully raider and mugger free. It wasn’t roach free though. Those things were everywhere, but I could crush them underhoof, so it wasn’t much of a problem.

Liverpool, much like Crystal City, was surrounded by a wall. Unlike Crystal City, their wall was basically blasted to rubble. Something had definitely blasted their way through. I approached it silently, with Carrot following behind me, just as silently. I barely poked my head through one of the holes blasted into the wall.

What I saw made me incredibly angry.

There was a group of about twenty pegasi, all dressed in black carapace armor. They matched Carrot’s description of the Remnant perfectly. Worse still, those scorpion tails on the flanks of their armor were not particularly inviting. They were driving about what looked like fifty ponies, making them walk into a cave with pickaxes, saws and drills.

It was easy to tell what was going on here. The Remnant had enslaved the citizens of Liverpool, and were now making them mine the coal and likely having it shipped off to the Remnant base. Wherever that might be. What the purpose for it was, I have no idea.

I turned to face Carrot Cake. “We need a plan.”

“I have a plan. Run in, kill them, and get this over with.”

“By kill them, you must mean kill us. It’s ten to one in there. Unless…” I looked at the enslaved ponies. “I have a plan. Do you think you could sneak into the mine, and start spreading word of a revolt? Tell ponies to use their pickaxes as weapons, and take out the Remnant?”

Carrot Cake nodded. “That’s why you’re the smart one Vanilla. Sneaking in there might take some time, but I’m sure I could do it in less than fifteen minutes.”

And with that, the ghoul had performed his disappearing act.I honestly have no idea how he managed to disappear when he was standing in front of me a matter of seconds ago. I stood by that hole in the wall, watching and waiting for my plan to work. All the rebellion needed was a little spark. I would be that spark. If I could take out even one of the members of the Remnant

“Well well. Look what we have here. Cybermare’s trying to be sneaky.”

I slowly turned around, careful not to make any sudden movements. Sure enough, two Remnant pegasi stood behind me, a mare and a stallion.

The bottom of the Remnant suit’s helmet was exposed, so I could see when they both grinned. They had thought they’d won.

“Alright. You caught me. My plan has been compromised.” I say nonchalantly. “You won.”

Both of their grins disappeared, and the stallion walked closer. Yes. Perfect. “You’re playing a game, Cybermare. But you’ve lost it. You don’t realize that. Just surrender and-”

He walked to close. I jumped forward while jutting the arm of the drill forward, straight into his visor. The drill and the saw were both made for cutting through metal. Reinforced glass was no exception. He barely had a chance to start screaming as the drill bore through his visor, then his eye, then his skull. In a matter of seconds, I had a dead Remnant on my hooves, which I used as a shield against the mare’s bullets. As I his behind the body, I began to rethink my plan.

It had been eleven minutes since I sent Carrot to start a rebellion. With the mare’s shooting, the other Remnant would be aware of my presence now. Which meant it was now or never. I pushed the body at the mare, then stood up. SATS, six shoots, go. They barely penetrated her armor. But at least they made her flinch. And the body falling on top of her didn’t help any. I spurred into action, and jumped on top of her pinned body, and slid the saw against her neck. The two inch cut into her neck killed her instantly.

I ran back to the wall, and poked my head through a wall. “The rebellion has started! Use your pickaxes or whatever weapon you can find and take them out! You outnumber them!” The bullet hitting me in the shoulder was probably a sign that I needed to duck back behind the wall, which I did.

I put a hoof over my new wound. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I had actually been shot and injured in the wasteland. And it hurt a lot. I whimpered. It hurt a lot!

The sounds of fighting, and metal hitting metal was a good sign. The copious amounts of gunshots were not. I floated out one of my potions and downed it. The bullet slid out, and my shoulder wound closed. Thank Celestia, the pain subsided with the wound. I levitated out my twin pistols. Six shots left. Better make them count.

I turned around the wall and ran into Liverpool. The battle was more like a small war. A few Remnant pegasi were down, but the number of their bodies nowhere matched the number of citizen bodies. A few citizens had managed to grab some guns from the Remnant corpses, and had taken cover, taking potshots at the Remnant that were smart enough to actually take to the air. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Carrot sawing into the back of a Remnant’s neck.

My target was the surprised Remnant officer just inside the walls. His special surprise was a drill to the neck.

It’s funny. Looks like I’ve built an intolerance to ponies that enslave other ponies.

I took cover behind a fallen piece of rubble, only daring to take looks every now and then. The numbers and the battle was so jumbled, so I couldn’t tell who was winning. But after about ten minutes, the gunshots slowed down. I chanced another peek.

The citizens of Liverpool were rushing to help the injured. It looked like their were about twenty survivors. A small cluster of Remnant soldiers, maybe five at most, were flying away from the rebellious town of Liverpool. I gave a triumphant laugh. It was a shaky victory, but I did it. I retook the town of Liverpool.

I moved out from behind my temporary cover, and started to help Liverpool. They moved all of their injured civilians into a building just outside the wall, which looked like and old hospital. Carrot and I both helped the small town. Not until we had moved all of the injured was I confronted by a sparkling rust brown earth pony stallion wearing a rancher’s hat.

“Ya did a mighty fine job, Ms. Cybermare. The ghoul told us that the way ya helped us was all yer idea.” Funny. I didn’t think northern ponies could have southern accents.

“It was nothing.” I said sheepishly, yet proudly. “Just another day of being the Cybermare, you know? Whatever I can do to help.” Funny, I didn’t come this way to perform any heroics. Yet I felt like a hero.

“Nonsense. If it weren’t fer ya coming along, we’d still be trapped by those damned Remnant. Ya saved us, Ms. Cybermare. That’s a matter of fact. How’d ya like to stay here for the night.”

“I think I’m good. I have somewhere I need to be as soon as possible.”

Carrot gave a pitiful fake whimper. “Oh come on Vanilla! I wanna sleep!”

“Thanks again, Cybermare. If ya ever need our help, just call.”

I smiled. I finally had more allies. Supporters even. It almost made me not want to leave the wasteland. Almost. “You’re welcome. And please, Don’t call me Cybermare. My name’s Vanilla Cream.”

Butterscotch,
You there? I’m actually kind of worried. It’s getting dark outside and you still haven’t answered. I hope you’re just resting from your injury. I can only imagine how exhausted you are.
But on another note:
I did it! I did it! I know where a Stable is now, or at least will know where a Stable is. It’s abandoned and has a door. And a train will transport the entire door there. Isn’t it great? I did what the Overmare said! I’ll be able to come back soon!
I can’t wait to see you again!

“So they were attacked and enslaved by the Remnant? I guess I should have really expected that.” Says the pudgy mayor of Crystal City.

I was too tired to reply, so I simply nodded in response. After over ten hours spent shooting, getting shot at, walking, and climbing stairs, your body wasn’t exactly the most energy filled.

“Then I suppose you want your reward?”

“I wanna sleep.” My speech may have been a little slurred there. What I actually said was more along the lines of: “I wan slep.”

She seemed to get the message though. “I can deduct eight hundred caps from your pay, and give you a room.”

“Sounds great.” I mumble.

“Okay then. Just get back up here whenever you wake up in the morning. I’ll give you the rest of your payment. Your room will be the free one just below my office. And Vanilla. Thank you. Now that Liverpool is back in communication, we can get the train running again.”

I nodded, only catchin half of what she said, then stumbled out of the door. I pointed down the stairs, not even bothering to look for my friend waiting outside.

“Carrot Cake. Carry me downstairs to the first room you see. Lay me in the bed. I’m gonna sleep.”

I felt myself lifted up, and draped over the ghoul’s back. I fell asleep before he even got to the bottom of the stairs, gently cradled to sleep by the rocking of his hips as he walked down the stairs.

Level Up!
4>5

Perks Gained:

Treasure Hunter
You’ve become accustomed to the shine of the Crystal Empire. While in gem caves, your eyes are not blurred by the blinding shine, and you do 10% more damage to anything that shines like a crystal.

Author's Notes:

Please, if you like it, add it to your favorites, and keep up with it. Also, thanks to Kkat for writing the original Fallout Equestria, and thanks to many other authors with their own Fallout: Equestria fanfiction for inspiration to create my own.

Also, a huge thanks to Ernest Wood and Starlight Nova for editing my story, and making it 20% cooler.

Please, comment on it. Constructive criticism is accepted, as well as positive comments.

Furthermore, the character of Bluesky made a cameo appearance in this chapter. This character does not belong to me, and is actually a character made by RuinQueenofOblivion. Give her story a check out to.