The Part Where They Actually Finish The Damn Thing...

I really need to start either asking crap about these two and their world or start telling stories, because I’m getting tired of listening to Pinkie ramble on playing eye spy with herself. Walking for over thirty minutes with that next to me is enough to drive me insane, hell the stuff in Vault 92 would be easier to ignore. But I digress; we were headed out to the Arlington Library to work on the final piece of the Guide. Once we finished this, we were done and we could move on. I am still thinking what we’re going to do after this but I’ll figure it out later, more than likely we’d move on with getting the G.E.C.K. but there were other things.

Upon arrival at the Library I stopped at the threshold of the doorway, turning around, “Pinkie, Rarity, I’m going to need you two to stay close, with you two coming along things could get hairy with the Brotherhood, they might get aggressive.”

“Why would they even get aggressive?”

I grumbled a bit, “The Brotherhood is anti-mutant. Some a bit more than others, most of the ones I met will shoot any mutant.” I slipped Blackhawk out of its holster. “So just stay behind me and let’s hope we can get through this pretty quickly.” I push on the door and step inside immediately gaining the attention of two Knights and a Scribe.

“Who are you and what the hell is behind you!?” She starts off calmly till Rarity and Pinkie come in behind me. The Knights bring their weapons to bear at the sight of mutants.

“I am Alex, and I’m just here to get some info, and these two are Pinkie and Rarity. They are friends of mine.”

“You’re Alex?” One of the Knights asked.

“Yes I am.”

“I heard about you and what happened, I’m sorry.”

I give a bit of smile in thanks for his condolences, “Thank you, anyway Scribe you wouldn’t happen to know anything about the card catalog for this library or perhaps the archives?”

At the mention of the knowledge she brightened up a bit, “Of course! We have the card catalog here, but we cannot get to the full archives, as raiders have been held up in the back of the library, and we can’t get them out.”

“How about I deal with them for you?”

“You can try, they are dug in there, and they even got some of the old turrets online.” Another Knight said moving to the door that leads to the back, leaning in to check what would be a hall.

I turn to Rarity and Pinkie, “Are you two going to up for this? This will be intense close range fighting, and Rarity I’m sorry but you are going to get blood in your coat and I don’t want to hear one god damn word about it.” A sheepish smile from Rarity and another one of my patented glares, she gave me a nod, signaling her willingness to get dirty. Pinkie was ready for anything usually, signaled by her incessant ramblings of how she was going to teach those mean raiders a lesson. I look to the Knights; they are grabbing their weapons, looking as if they are going to follow us in. Of course they are both eyeing Rarity and Pinkie, their training to kill all mutants being a major thought; however since I am standing with them I held doubt that they would try anything, my influence overriding their orders.

“If you three are ready then we’ll head in.” The Knight who had been speaking told us as he and his counterpart headed to the door, standing on either side weapons held ready. I holster Blackhawk and reach for Eugene on my back, pulling the body down and into my hands. Giving the barrels a quick spin, I nod to Rarity and Pinkie who have gotten their weapons out. Rarity armed with her sword and Pinkie with her shotgun. I push through the doors, the Knights behind me and behind them are Pinkie and Rarity.

Fighting had started, and I shit you not a minute in, I stepped into a room and a raider somewhere shouted me out, which in turn gave me the warm welcome of a grenade. Thankfully I kicked it into a doorway across from me, killing a raider an arm and a leg coming from the door way being a great sign of that. The Knights started firing alongside me, cutting down almost every raider that decided to pop up. While Pinkie and Rarity had dashed towards another door, and were moving about trying to get up on the upper level so they could flush the rest out. I heard a few screams and a few shotgun blasts as raiders dropped into view from the balconies; a bit of pink moving about, along with a flash of purple and alabaster swishing about almost as if it were dancing around the pink. I looked further down, seeing more doors to head down, and clear.

I split away from the Knights, putting Eugene back into its slot, pulling Blackhawk from its holster, upon passing the threshold of the doorway and into a hall; I am grabbed from behind by a raider. His arm tries to slip around my neck, but I quickly grab him and toss him over my head, dropping him to the floor and bringing Blackhawk up to his forehead.

With a pull of the trigger his head explodes and I start down the hall, any Raiders that pop out of a door or out of an alcove get a bullet to the face. A few minutes later I end up in a spot of trouble as I found the back room, the turrets and the Raiders had me stuck at the door. I didn’t have any grenades since Pinkie took all of them. I brought up my Pip-Boy which had the layout of the Library already up, moving it around I found the two blips that were Rarity and Pinkie, they were still a floor above me, and seemed to still be on the balconies. I made the trip up a floor and stumbled across the bodies of raiders’ ragged holes still oozing blood and gore, their throats slit. Following the trail I heard a few shots and a scream, rushing forward I find Pinkie and Rarity behind a few toppled over bookshelves and a group of dead and dying raiders along with a few lives one hiding behind their own shelving, one popped his head out and I raised Blackhawk looking down its scope and lining up a shot. A quick squeeze of the trigger and a bullet in an eye-socket later, the raiders had their attention on me along with the girls.

“Watch it! One of them has a Flamer!” Pinkie exclaimed in her always cheerful voice.

I hustle over and crouch next to them, “Really!?”

“Why do you sound excited?” Rarity questioned her tone more monotonous, and not having her usual refined accent.

“Cause a fight with a Flamer is always fun!” I stood holstering Blackhawk and grabbing Eugene. Giving the barrels a quick spin out of habit, and a few bullet pings on my armor I started forward, waiting for the raider with the flamer. “Come here buddy, let’s dance!” I taunted, in my short time out in the wastes I learned that raiders were usually dumb, and taunting worked.

Which it did, he moved out of a room and started spewing flames in my direction, the armor was doused in the fuel while I fired, spraying him with rounds tearing his flesh apart, leaving little more than a ragged carcass. Moving along I turned the last few raiders into bullet riddled bits, at times I could never believe dismemberment was so much fun, then again giant fucking minigun versus people with barely any armor. What do I expect, that they’ll be like Super Mutants and take rounds and just keep on fighting? Nope, these guys are easy. With the last one a bleeding mess, I may have overkilled him a little, anyway going about and thinking if I should even try and loot these guys seeing as if they had anything I may have destroyed it turning their bodies to mush, which was currently getting all over my boots… and Pinkie’s hooves.

“Are you looking for something Pinkie? I think I may have overdone it here.”

“Yeah actually I tossed a grenade in here without pulling the pin!” She looked at me with a smile, “Rarity reminded me to pull the pin and count to three but I just counted to three and tossed, well actually I counted to five and skipped three and four, but—“

“Pinkie that’s enough just find your grenade and let’s get going I found the room with the archives and I need your grenades.” I told her with a small smile, I remember when I forgot to pull the pin on grenades. We headed back to the archive room; the raiders were still there, as when Pinkie poked her head around the turrets and raiders fired out of the doorway, I having to yank Pinkie back so she didn’t get her head torn off. As I pulled her back I reached down to the makeshift bandolier Rarity had crafted for her, since I one I had didn’t fit her, grabbing a plasma grenade. Dropping the pink pony behind me and pulling the pin, I tossed the grenade through the door, hopefully tossing it in the direction of the two turrets. A few seconds and the static like sound of the plasma grenade going off, I rush in the girls hopefully following behind as I find the turrets turned into molten slag, and a raider crawling away from a pile of green goop that was more than likely the arm and leg he was currently missing. I let them take care of that I pushed forward, the few raiders that were left had somewhat barricaded themselves in the furthest point back in the room; I could see a terminal next to what I assumed to be the archives. I walked forward, and they raised their weapons against me, I just shot them giving little care at this point, they only had ten millimeters anyway. With the room cleared, I walked over to the terminal booting it up and downloading the complete archives to my Pip-Boy.

“So can we go home now my hooves are killing me?”

“Getting real tired of your shit Rarity.” I say cheerfully, knowing that I was done with the Wasteland Survival Guide. “But yes we can go home now, I’ll give the archives to Moira, and then we’ll do something at home. I’m finally fucking done with this research and I want to take a load off.” I say thinking on what we could do once we get home, maybe drink some more like last night, I still can’t believe that Pinkie threw a party and the whole town practically came. I’ll give it to her she knows how to make a party.

We headed back home, watching a few Vertibirds go over head as we walk, heading into D.C. proper. Probably towards the Mall or even the White House, Penn Avenue had been covered in Enclave at one point.

We reached the gates of Megaton a little before nightfall, I headed straight to Craterside Supply to give Moira the archives, and I let Pinkie and Rarity do whatever they wanted till I rounded them up. I expected Pinkie went up to Moriarty’s he had taken a real shine to the pink pony. And who knows where Rarity went, she didn’t really fit in with anyone here, she probably went home to be with Wadsworth, I’d guess he’s more than likely the most refined ‘person’ here.

I opened the door to Craterside Supply, “Hey Moira, I’m back with the archives!” I yelled into the shop, not surprised to see smoke about the whole shop. I fully stepped inside, letting smoke spill out into the open air, “Moira!?” I yelled again, hoping she didn’t finally blow herself up. Her guard and Moira were in the back room, Moira coughing while the guard just sat back, a Nuka-Cola in his hand.

“I got the archives from the library Moira.”

She looked up at me and put on a real big smile, “That’s great! That means were done!”

“Yep, unless you need anything else?”

“Well I need you, Rarity, and Pinkie to sign the draft so when I get it published everyone will know who helped!”

“Really, you aren’t going to take all the glory for this?” I ask sarcastically.

“That would be cruel and heartless Alex, you of all people should know I am not either of those things.” She scolds.

“I know Moira, just being sarcastic. Alright I’ll get the girls and we’ll sign the book.” I turned on my heel and walked out the shop, checking my Pip-Boy for Rarity and Pinkie. The both of them were up at Moriarty’s, with a quick walk up I found the two of them at the bar talking with Gob, Rarity a bit drunk and I don’t even think Pinkie can get drunk.

I walked up behind the two ponies, nodding to Gob getting a nod back, “Come on you two Moira needs us for one last thing!” I say a little loudly, placing my hands on their shoulders ushering them out of the bar. “I’ll be back to pay for the drinks Gob, just tell Moriarty to put it on my tab!”

With the grunt of acknowledgement from Gob, and a seemingly pissed off looking Moriarty leaning his head out of his office, we leave and head back to Craterside Supply. Moira was sitting behind her counter with a stack of papers.

“Ah there you are! Well all you have to do is sign this and then I can get it published!”

“You know I would ask how your going about getting this published…but I can only think it’ll lead to me having to deliver things. And I am not a courier.” Moira hands me a pen and I quickly write my name on the front sheet, handing it off to the girls, “Just sign and we’ll go home.” I start heading for the door.

“Oh and Alex I’ll be giving you the first copy when I get it!”

“Just stop by whenever and drop it off then, I’m headed home for a drink.” I say as I leave the shop and cross town quickly. Heading into my home, and stripping my armor off. Grabbing the single bit of unarmored clothing I have, which was a Vault suit and the lab coat I had taken off of Jonas. I never understood what told me to take it, but perhaps I just wanted something to remember him by. Anyway, I ordered my usual drink with Wadsworth and sat at my table, letting out a long sigh. It’s been a rather long week, not just three weeks ago; I was in some god awful simulation controlled by that Braun asshole. But I guess that’s my life tons a fuck yous.

End of Part 3~
Post Chapter Statuses:
Level Up
Alex Level 13-
New Perk: Pyromaniac
Rarity Level 4-
New Perk:Educated
Pinkie:Level 4-
New Perks:Child At Heart and Little Leaguer Rank 2

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long with this one, I had to take a bit of time off from writing. But now I'm back and I hope this chapter brings a bit of enjoyment to ye'.