Fallout: the Return

Interlude: Raul

<~Raul’s PoV~>

I was dreaming. I knew that since the star-filled plane of Luna’s realm blanketed me as I dreamt; the princess of the ethereal realm was standing before me, smiling like a kid. I liked Luna even though we only see each other every now and then. In my four years of being in Equestria, she had helped me deal with my recurring nightmares of the day I lost my sister Rafaela.

I smiled in her presence, nodding in respect, “Hola, Princess Luna. How are you today?”She chuckled, smiling even more as she trotted close, “Thou art dreaming in the middle of my sister’s day.” She said in the way I loved to hear her talk. It was like she was always speaking from a pre-war movie about knights and castles. It made this old ghoul smile and chuckle.I gave a shrug, “Of course. I’m an old man taking a nap.”That made the Princess of the Night laugh, “You’re not old. Wait till thy hit a thousand and forty.”I rolled my eyes, “I’m just shy of two hundred and fifty…sixty,” I said uncertain. “I so old I forgot,” I said with a chuckle, but the reality of it hit me, causing me to look down and sigh, “And I don’t know how much time I have left in me.”That caught Luna’s attention, “What does thou mean?”I sat on the floor of the dream world, a black expanse filled with stars, “It means I’m old. Ghouls are long-lived, not immortal like you or your sister.”She looked down at the black and starry floor, her eyes betraying her sadness “I wish I could change that, thou art such a nice stallion.”I chuckled at that one, my mood no longer downtrodden, “Do I detect the Princess of the Night has a crush?”Luna hid her face with her hooves and flowing mane, no doubt concealing a blush. “No,” she said defensively, “You’re just a good stallion. What you’ve gone through, I wish it didn’t trouble you. The memories of finding your sister… how could anypony do that to another?”I gave a sigh the memories threatening to come back to haunt me like ghosts. “They were Raiders, and you saw what I done to them for killing my sister like that.” She knew exactly how I killed each and every last one of them; a single .44 magnum through each of their heads. The Vaquero struck down his righteous fury that day.Luna nodded, looking pale, “Yes, I saw that dream as well. I do not know why my sister let Twilight and the others keep their guns, even after I showed her a less graphic memory.”I wondered which one of my memories of a bombed out Mexico city, or the Wasteland, she had shown. Or it could have been my lonely time on the Petro-Chico oil rig where I nearly went feral from the loneliness. Ignoring my previous thoughts, I gave my opinion. “Probably because Twilight would just build another one,” I joked, but was somewhat serious, “That girl is crazy smart. She builds power armor in her basement, and still finds time to work on other projects.”Luna nodded, “Yes, Twilight has sent letters to my sister detailing her inventions. The defensive armor is worrying enough, but her reports on what she calls laser rifles…” she trailed off, and I saw her give a shiver.It was strange to be here chatting with her like we were friends. I guess a thousand years on the moon makes one eager for friends, but still, Princess Celestia seemed nice as well. The two of them, to me, seem much more down-to-earth with their subjects than the old world government. I suppose they take pride in having everyone--everypony’s, best interest at heart.Or they were hopelessly doomed to outlive anyone they loved, so they try and make their subjects mortal lives as enjoyable as possible.I couldn't ask her myself, since the dream world faded away when the bell above my shop’s door chimed. I jerked awake sitting in my seat behind the counter, instantly seeing three ponies had entered the store, looking at me with worry.“S-Sir, are you alright?” A stallion asked me fearfully.“Si, gracias for your concern. New in town?” I yawned out as the three nodded, causing me to smile and lean against the counter with my forehooves - took me forever to finally walk again on these things. “Welcome to Tejada’s Hardware and Carriage Repair. I’m the owner, Raul. And yes, the handsome devil you see before you does look like a corpse.”The mare of the group shook her head, “First we hit that thing on the road, now this? Maybe moving here was a bad idea, this town is a little crazy.”I chuckled since I shared her sentiments on Ponyville. “I’m not from here, but the town still is crazy,” I said jokingly before asking, “So what do you need?”I motioned with my hooves behind me, my olive green Petro-Chico jumpsuit keeping the newcomers from seeing my whole body looked like beef jerky. On the shelves I was motioning to, I had several tools, boxes of nails, and other items on pegs and shelves, displaying most of what I sold. I kept the lumber and carriage shop in the back shed and the garage next to it.A younger stallion - who looked more in his teen years - asked me, “What are you exactly?” His mother gave him a disappointed and angry glare, but I held up a hoof before she could tell him off.After living here for four years, I was used to that question. I answered without hesitation, “I’m a ghoul. It’s like a zombie, but we don’t eat brains or infect others… well the non-feral ones do have a tendency to bite.”The mother and father traded worried looks while the teenager laughed, “Wow, that is pretty awesome. How old are you?”I tapped a hoof to my chin, “Two hundred and fifty...ish. Hard to remember exactly since I lived so long. Princess Luna has the same problem.”That caused them all to chuckle, except for the teen who looked amazed, “Wow, you’re that old? What’s it like to live so long?”“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Each ghoul has their own opinion, mine’s in Spanish as well as a little jumbled. Not as bad as Harold’s memory though, or was it Bob?”“Who now?” The mare asked, confused at the human name. I nearly die laughing when I meet a new face with a pun to match their flank. Me… I have a wrench on my ass.“Another ghoul I met with a twig growing out his head. That was probably,” I paused a second to let my memory catch up, “a little over sixty years ago in a town called Gecko.”The teen mouthed the word ‘wow’ before complimenting me, “You must have some interesting stories, sir.”That's one thing I like about Equestria, just like what little I can remember before the war, kids were respectful and well mannered. I gave a chuckle, the sound of a ghoul laughing visibly unnerving the teen’s parents who winced at the sound, “The stories I could tell… but I doubt your mother would let me tell them.” I turned my head and was rewarded with a loud pop, my old joints aching again, “So, enough chatter, what would you fine gentleponies like?”The stallion hesitantly stepped closer towards the counter, looking embarrassed at his wife’s newfound glare of disapproval. “Well,” he started off, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof, “I was pulling the family cart, since we were moving, and I may or may not have hit an animal out near that forest and broke our right-front wheel.”I winced, “Darn, did it survive? Fluttershy will never forgive herself if it didn’t.” I sure hoped it didn’t die. Poor mare’s an emotional wreck with all that’s happened with Leo. I was just glad he made it back okay. I would have helped rescue him, but I’m old, have a store to run, and with my eyesight, I might have accidentally shot somepony.The teen shook his head, “No sir. Mom, Dad, and I wrapped it in a tarp and carried it to Fluttershy’s after a mailmare flying upside-down spotted us and told us where to go.”Must have been Derpy; the only mailmare around who flies upside-down, seems to be everywhere at any given time, and is very helpful. “Well now, guess I’m going to have to haul the thing back to my shop with these old bones,” I joked, smiling widely as I laughed. I sure hope they didn’t expect me to haul it back with me. I would honestly rather fight Deathclaws with Rarity again.The stallion shook his head, “Nope. I managed to drag it with three wheels back to the only cart repair shop in town. Guess in the country, everypony knows how to fix their own cart?”“That’s about right,” I answered with a nod, “I make most of my money from selling hardware supplies and sharpening plough blades.” That was when I caught on to how the stallion worded his last sentence, “City ponies, huh?”The three nodded, and I gave a small chuckle, “Welcome to Ponyville then.”Upon muttering those accursed words, I summoned El Demonio Rosa De Los Partidos. In English, that meant Pinkie Pie. The sugar fueled mare burst through my door, making the three ponies jump in fright. She then gasped at the new faces - ones showing nothing but shock at her oversized smile - before pulling a cannon the Boomers would be proud of, and ruined the interior of my shop with confetti. I shook my head, rubbing my forehead with a hoof.“¿Por qué, Pinkie?” I asked in Spanish, which meant ‘Why, Pinkie?’She smiled, and, in perfect Spanish, she replied, “Porque soy Pinkie Pie, por eso.”Which meant ‘Because I’m Pinkie Pie, that’s why’. Honestly I had no counterargument to that one.I was surprised to find out Pinkie was fluent in Spanish, and knew a few Pre-War Spanish birthday songs. Getting older had never been so much fun.My first birthday party here in Equestria was at Sweet Apple Acres. With Pinkie playing Spanish music, and singing right along, It was almost like I was back at Hidalgo Ranch, my little sister Rafaela dancing, clapping, and humming along.I sighed, Pinkie frowning and backing away as the three shocked newcomers began brushing off their confetti covering.“Thinking of your sister?” She asked. Guess she inferred it since we were talking in Spanish.I nodded, “I wonder what it would be like with her here, over two hundred years after I turned into… this. Would she even recognize me?”“You have an unmistakable voice. I know she would remember it.” I smiled at that, Pinkie returning her own smile, before zipping around in a flash of pink. All the confetti disappeared and my shops door slammed shut as I heard a sonic boom in the distance.The stallion stared at the door, his mouth opening and closing before he found a word to say. “Okay,” and that was it. Just a completely stunned reaction on his face.I laughed pretty hard at that. “That was Pinkie Pie, expect a party later, and avoid her if she’s pulling her welcome wagon,” I warned. Seriously, cake batter covered in confetti is a nightmare to get out dry skin.The three nodded, the stallion giving me a regretful look, “Sorry you had to outlive your sister.”Would she have turned to a ghoul, or would she have died an even slower death of radiation poisoning. God help me if she had turned feral. “It probably was for the best,” I sighed out, my old heart aching with slow beats. I shook my head and forced a smile, “So, let’s pull that wagon into the garage in the back of the store.”It didn’t take long for the stallion to pull his overloaded wagon into the garage. Upon inspecting it, I realized why the wheel snapped off, the axle holding the wheel to the cart was corroded with rust. I was surprised the wheel managed to hold the various chests and other heavy looking amenities the cart contained. I swore I saw a fridge in there, which could have been possible, since Equestria seems to be stuck in the middle ground of futuristic and archaic.To my left was a toolbox, covered in more rust than the cart’s axle. Taking a deep breath, I focused my thoughts to the spiraling horn jutting from the middle of my forehead. In an instant, the box was surrounded in a radioactive green glow of my magic, allowing me to effortlessly float the box over to the cart.While the three watched me begin to work, the teen spoke up again, “So, Raul was it? You sound like you're from Mexicolt.”“My accent is a giveaway,” I said. I was completely blown away by Mexicolt, especially Mexicolt City which I saw postcards of. It was crazy how Equestria used a lot of city names from before the war, but turned into horse puns.“What part?” The teen asked.I began inspecting the broken and corroded axle, trying to figure out how best to repair it. “A little place called Hidalgo Ranch, a few miles from Mexico City,” I said, leaving off the lt intentionally, “Haven’t been there in over two hundred years.”“Wow, you must have some serious homesickness,” he replied. His mother gave him a slap to the back of the head.“Stop pestering Mr. Tejada as he works Chatterbox.” I nearly lost it at the kids name, but managed to keep my laugh in.“Yes mother,” he replied, looking down like a scolded dog.I smiled and kept thinking, then I spotted something. A tuft of fur leading out of a patch of scales.Don't tell me, “Did you hit something that looked like a coyote and a snake mixed together?”“Yes, why? It seemed to freak out Fluttershy.”Mierda!

<~Fluttershy’s PoV~>

When the day started, I had no idea I would get my son back. When it started, I was depressed and then angry with Chrysalis. After Leo was returned to me, I was planning on spending the entire day curled up with him, hugging him along with my husband.However, I had a Nightstalker in my living room. Days ago, when I told Discord my life had become boringly normal, I wasn’t expecting all of this. Sometimes it feels like my life gets screwed up on sheer coincidences for some deity’s sick amusement. First it was Leo’s foalnapping, and once that was resolved, I get a deadly Nightstalker.“Jason, take Leo back to his room,” I whispered like the merest sound would rouse the species brought forth by mankind. The Nightstalker’s chest slowly rose and fell as it gave weak breaths; its tan-scaled head sporting a bleeding gash in the shape of a ‘V’.“You three might want to leave,” Jason said to the ponies that brought the creature, not obeying the instructions I gave him, “That right there folks, is a very dangerous and rare animal from the Everfree.” He’s the one that told me about them since I had never seen a Nightstalker before. Although, what lied before my eyes fit Jason’s description of one: Canine-snake head, coyote body that blended fur and scales together, as well as a furry, dog-like tail that shifted to sand-brown scales, and ended in a rattle.The three ponies quickly departed without a word, leaving Jason, Leo, and I with the Nightstalker.“Jason, take Leo to his room, now,” I said in a firmer tone. “I don’t know when it will wake-”Its ears twitched… shit.The Nightstalker jumped to its paws, and let out a bark-hiss sound. A dazed expression was on its face, as its forked tongue tasted the air. It took it only a second for it to spot me with the reptilian eyes it possessed. With a single bound the Nightstalker leapt upon me, knocking me down even though it was just a little bit larger than Wynona.Jason tackled the beast off of me. I yelled for the Nightstalker to stop, hoping that it would understand me.It didn’t and bit at Jason, who had to let the Nightstalker go or get bit in the neck.“STOP!” I heard Leo’s voice yell through sobs, “Don’t hurt mommy and daddy.” The Nightstalker stopped, turned its hungry eyes towards Leo, let its forked tongue flick the air, and then… whimpered and cowered like a scolded puppy.“Mommy says be nice, so stop it!” Leo chided, rubbing tears from his eyes. The Nightstalker only whimpered more, its wounded head still dripping red drops of blood on my white carpet.“Leo… it understands Leo,” I stated in disbelief, my heart was pounding as I was sweating bullets. It understood Leo, but, why not me?The unintelligible whimpers and barks told me why. It was because I couldn’t understand it.“Sit, doggy,” Leo ordered, the Nightstalker complying, its forked tongue lolling out like a dog’s as its pants were laced with hisses.Out the corner of my eye, I could see Jason’s shocked expression, “Honey, did our son just talk to a Nightstalker, or did I get bit and its venom is making me hallucinate?”I gave a weak, totally unamused and totally nervous chuckle. “I think he did, honey,” I said sarcastically, trying in vain to calm myself. “It also seems our son has my gift for talking to animals.”My heart stopped beating when Leo jumped off the couch and used his wings to glide a few hooves away from Jason, the Nightstalker, and I. He patted the floor with his hooves. “Come here doggy,” He ordered with a large smile.The Nightstalker did as Leo asked. It was no longer showing any signs of aggression. That became crystal clear when the Nightstalker was just a few inches away from Leo; it flopped on its back and pant-hissed.Then Leo started rubbing the ‘Doggies’’ tummy. I would have grabbed my son and got him as far away from the Nightstalker as equinly possible, but I feared I would only get Leo bit. First he was crying over it trying to kill me, now he wants to get close to it? Twilight was right; the ponies in this town were crazy.Jason moved closer to the two, both of us were shaking in fear. “If that thing bites him, it takes Nightstalker venom only seconds to kill human children.”“How are we going to handle this?” I asked Jason, fear on my face.“You’re asking me? You’re the one who can hold conversations with jealous, blind ninja rabbits.”Said bunny was standing at the door to the kitchen, right past the possibly hungry Nightstalker, possibly totally unaware of the beast a few hooves distance away. Leo was probably the only thing keeping the Nightstalker from making a meal of us all.“I can’t understand it,” I explained with a hint of worry. “It’ll take me a while to learn how Nightstalkers talk. It’s like they’re both rattlesnake and coyote, with both languages jumbled up worse than the Sunday crossword.”Jason then gasped, “Not to change subject, but look at our son.”I didn’t want to take my eyes off of the Nightstalker, but I did. Looking at Leo, I spotted a big difference. His flank sported a lion’s head as a cutie mark; it’s mouth open wide in a ferocious roar.Lion, king of the jungle. My three and a half year old son’s special talent was being king of dangerous animals.You hear that sound Fluttershy? That’s the sound of your blood pressure spiking to critical levels.

<~-~>

When I came to after fainting, I had a long, snake-like tongue licking my face, Leo and Jason laughing, the latter rather nervously.“Mr. Rattles likes you, mommy.” Leo said with a bright smile, “Can I keep him, can I keep him? Please?” Leo pleaded. With the large-as-saucer eyes he was giving me, I was wondering if he had some sort of ‘cute’ version of ‘The Stare.’“How long was I out?” I asked Jason, ‘Mr. Rattle’s’ tongue relenting its wet and abrasive assault on my face.“Ten seconds,” Jason replied, before brushing the carpet with a hoof as he chuckled, “Long enough for Leo to come up with a name.”Great, now Leo’s attached to him. Why couldn’t he just want a puppy like every other foal his age?I groaned and sighed and thought; only coming up with one thing to say, “Maybe.”“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Leo hugged Mr. Rattles tight enough I could see the Nightstalker’s eyes bulge, then let out a whimper that I swore was ‘help me’.Oh boy, Twilight’s going to have an aneurysm when I show her Mr. Rattles.