Wasteland Equestria

"So," Reggie said. "I guess we're stuck together, huh?"

"I guess," the green unicorn said. "My name's Lyra."

"I'm Bon Bon," the tan earth pony next to her said.

Reggie and Octavia introduced themselves.

"So," Lyra asked. "you ponies were spying on the house when the slavers found you. Why?"

"We weren't really-" Octavia started.

"Trying to get a layout of the house," Reggie said. "We were gonna break in and get some supplies."

"Are you raiders?" Bon Bon asked.

"We don't really mind letting slavers starve," Reggie said. "We're just normal ponies trying to survive."

"Regal," Octavia said. "Can I talk to you? In private?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked to the back of the shed. Reggie followed her.

"What are you thinking?!" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you lying to them?!"

"If they knew that we were thinking about leaving them, they'd probably make our life a living hell."

"We can't just lie!"

"Octavia, you need to learn to adapt. This wasteland won't be merciful. You shouldn't be, either."

"What happened to you?"

"Ponies change, Octavia." He trotted away without another word.

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A few hours later, the black earth pony from earlier opened the door to the shack. "Get out," he said. The slaves did as they were told. The leader and the brown unicorn were standing out there.

"Get in a line," he ordered. They did so. The brown unicorn walked up and shackled their hoofs together.

"Where are our friends?" Octavia asked.

The slaver that had caught them walked out of the house, leading a shackled Dinky. He mane was messy and dirty, her eyes drooping from sleep deprivation.

"Dinkī," Reggie said. "Anata wa daijōbudesuka?"

"Watashi - watashi wa kowaga~tsu te," Dinky said, her voice shaking. "Doko de karera wa watashitachi o totte iru?"

"Shirimasen.Watashi wa mamorudeshou. Watashi ga yakusoku shimasu."

The slaver nudged Dinky beside Reggie. "Alright," the leader said. "Today, we got somepony coming to buy a slave. You are not to move from this spot unless you are told. Are we clear?"

Lyra and Bon Bon nodded hastily. Reggie was still looking at Dinky. "Yes," Octavia said calmly.

"Good," the leader said. He turned to look at the road and saw a dark red pegasus walk up. "He's here." He walked up to the pony and and began talking, but he was too far away for the slaves to hear.

"Dinkī," Reggie asked, "Anata ga karera ni atte iru tokiniha, binīru o mimashita ka?"

"Kanojo wa sono chairo no yunikōn to atta," Dinky said. "Watashi wa irai, kanojo o miteinai."

"Watashi wa anata o shutoku suru baai, anata wa kanojo o mitsukeru koto ga dekiru to omoimasu ka?"

"Tabun."

Reggie looked at the brown unicorn and levitated his keys away, very slowly. He pulled them to him, keeping them close to the ground. He unlocked Dinky's chains.

"Isoi de," Reggie whispered. "Shizukani shite imasu."

Dinky trotted back and snuck into the house.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Octavia asked.

"If she's quiet," Reggie whispered, slowly levitating the key back to the slaver's belt.

Just then, the crimson pegasus approached the slaves. "These are what you have?" he asked the leader.

"Yup," he said. "Take a look. See which one suits you."

The pegasus walked up and looked at Lyra, inches from her face. Octavia looked at Reggie and noticed the worried expression on his face. He was looking at the dirt. Octavia followed his gaze and saw the slaver's keys in the dirt. He hadn't had time to return them to his belt.

"What's up with all the unicorns?" the pegasus asked.

"Excuse me?" the leader asked.

"You've got just as many unicorns as you do earth ponies."

"Three?" The leader took a look at the line of slaves and his eyes widened. "Why'd that foal go?!"

"Boss!" the brown earth pony said. "My keys aren't on my belt. One of the slaves must've taken it while I wasn't lookin'!"

The leader looked angrily at the slaves. "Where's that foal?!"

"Sh-she's inside," Bon Bon stuttered.

"Bon Bon!" Lyra said, looking at her friend in disbelief.

The leader looked at the green pegasus. "Nitro, get inside and find that foal!"

The green pegasus nodded and began to say something. He never got to finish, though, because his head exploded in a rain of gore.

Bon Bon shrunk back, Lyra covered her ears with her hoofs, and Reggie and Octavia stared, mouths agape, at the dead pony in front of them.

"What the buck?!" the leader said. He looked at the black unicorn, who was levitating a shotgun. "Charcoal?! What the hell?!"

"I won't have you hurting these ponies," the unicorn, who must've been Charcoal, said. "Especially not somepony as innocent as a foal."

"You've gone soft," the leader said. He looked at the slaves. "Take the key and free yourselves." He turned back to face the leader.

Reggie levitated the key towards him and freed Octavia, then himself, then Lyra, then Bon Bon. "Octavia, get Vinyl and Dinky." He lifted the dead slaver's pistol towards Octavia. "Take this. The green pegasus is still inside."

"Okay." Octavia trotted inside the house, levitating the gun with her.

"Drummer," the crimson pegasus said to the slaver.

"Shut it," the leader said. "Charcoal, put the gun down."

"Why?" Charcoal questioned. "So you can kill the me and the slaves? Don't insult me, Drummer. I'm not an idiot."

The slavers stared each other down. Then, without warning, Charcoal's shotgun whipped down the side and fired. More blood rained down. Everypony looked over and saw the other earth pony, his head blown off.

"Buck!" Reggie yelled.

"No more options, Drummer," Charcoal said. "Let the slaves go."

"I've got one more option," Drummer said, smiling evilly. "Nitro!"

Suddenly, the green pegasus trotted out of the house, Dinky wrapped around one of his front hooves and a gun between his mouth, pointed at Octavia.

"You said you don't want them to die," Drummer challenged. "Lower your gun, and they won't."

Charcoal looked at Octavia and Dinky, a look of worry on his face. Finally, he closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Fine." The glow around the shotgun and died and the gun fell to the ground.

"Good," Drummer said. "Now, all of you-"

"Hoff!" Nitro yelled. Drummer turned and saw that his gun had turned around and the barrel was aiming inside his mouth.

"Drop it, you idiot!" Drummer said.

Before Nitro had the chance, the gun went off, sending a bullet into his brain.The back of his head exploded and he fell over, blood leaking from his mouth.

"Reggie!" Dinky yelled, running to Reggie. When she reached him, he wrapped his front hooves around her, embracing her.

"What happened?" Octavia said, ignoring the fact that she was covered in blood.

"You guys okay?!" a voice said. Octavia looked up and saw Vinyl, leaning out the top window.

"Vinyl!" Octavia yelled. "You're alive!"

Charcoal lifted the shotgun and shot at Drummer and the crimson pegasus, killing them both. Vinyl came out of the door.

"You ponies okay?" she asked.

"Thank you," Reggie said. "You saved Dinky. And Octavia."

"No problem," Vinyl said. "That pegasus was a pervert. Do you know what he did to me last night?!"

"I could probably guess," Reggie said, disgusted.

Charcoal walked up to the slaves. "You ponies okay?"

"Thanks for the help," Octavia said.

Suddenly, a gunshot sounded and Charcoal fell over, a hole in the back of his head. Nitro's pistol was floating behind him.

"Slaver piece of crap," Reggie said. The gun dropped into the dirt and he began to search Charcoal.

"Regal!" Octavia yelled in disbelief and anger. "What the buck?! He helped used!"

"And, now, he's going to help us some more," Reggie said, taking some of Charcoal's supplies.

"You just killed him!"

"We need to survive, Octavia. And I'll do any thing I can to do that."

Octavia stood, her mouth agape. Her friend had killed a pony, and was acting like it was normal. What had the wasteland done to him?