The five bottles stood there perfectly, even after my five shots.

The yellow mare from earlier, who's name I learnt was Sunny Silver, looked completely amazed.

"That's amazing! We are about a meter away, not even that, and you missed all of them. You did say you killed a pony with that gun right? With bullets? Not just beating the pony with the gun?"

This was embarrassing. I said I chosen the rifle as my primary weapon for a reason. That reason being my mouth. But thinking back, I used it to fight what so far? Radgators, a raider and scaring that blue earth pony? Boom does most of the fighting. I just help. Sunny was quick with motivation.

"Don't worry Slashy. I sucked with a rifle too after I left tenpony. I failed at even hitting a stable door point blank!" Oh that's another thing. She likes nicknames. So I'm now 'Slashy' to her.

She walked over to a table to grab a magazine reading 'Rifleponies Weekly' The latest edition in 195 years. and passed it to me, "Give that a read though. I'm going to look at our bounty wall."

Sunny left me with the magazine and I walked out into the main hall. For whatever it was worth, the Trottinghame Rangers at least respected me. Or maybe just feared Boom.

There was an initiation held for me after I got my jacket. A member explains how I should be as a member and have a current member vouch for me. I would talk about that but its hush hush. The member that vouched for me was Boomageton. Not just Boom but the pony The Wasteland sees no matter how she looks. Her body was covered in metal armor. Only her head, neck and hooves showed. Around her tail were rings that looked like grenade pins, a pair of goggles around her neck and to finish it off her weapons. The first was a missile launcher on her left and her right was not her semi auto grenade launcher but what looked like a fully motorized grenade minigun. It's needless to say having Boom say I should join worked wonders.

After the initiation, she gave me a gift. I hadn't had a chance to look and now seemed like a good time. The paschal was well wrapped then again she is a unicorn and it even had a note.

"Dear stable,

For all those times you need to light the way, or you need me there the most but I'm not there to blast away ghosties.

Boom."

I tore open the box and I stared down at what I could guess was two things. Well three of you include the assortment of bullets. The first was a book, 'The Bigger, The Banger'. According to the cover, it was a recall to some 'Ministry of Image'. The second was a pistol of some kind. It only looked like it could hold one shot but the size of the bullet was the same as some of the bigger guns I've seen. It must be really powerful.

Strapping it onto my side, Sunny arrived with a bounty on her horn.

"Well Slashy, we got us a bounty big enough to spit fair but small enough I don't end up killing us both."

I gave her a quick smile and a nod before grabbing my book and following her. Traveling back though Trottinghame was different without Boom. Many of the local ponies I've seen at least twice avoided me while new comers had no problem pushing past me. I could see what Boom meant by ponies acting based on who you travel with. Eventually, we arrived at our location. I could see ten other ponies. Six of which wore our ranger branding; the other four looked like mercenaries. Once we got to the group, a pony in the reinforced leather got onto a rock.

"Alright everypony, about nine hours fast trot from here is Old Vapors Plaza where a group of raiders is hold up. Now, this is a group effort. It's going to take five teams of two working together to keep these raiders from escaping back to wherever raiders escape to. Now, the mercs have been paid by Torchlight already so they ain't getting a cut from the bounty itself but it's still 'first come' to all loot, so let's get trotting ponies. I want them gone by daybreak."

Vapors plaza was going to be my first real job outside of the stable. Our leader gave a quick wave of his hoof as we started walking. Sunny was quick to separate me from the group for a once over.

"Now Slashy, I'm not like Boomageton. She can hold her own against any number of raider ponies. I'm just a mare with a carbine and a sawed off. I'm big on the playing it safe part so if it comes down to letting a raider go or getting shot up, I'll let em go. Better to get chewed out and lose caps then get short up and get a grave."

That made a lot of sense.

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind."

Getting closer to Vapors Plaza, I can see why they took it over. What was left of the place looked like some kind of fortress. Ruble had been layered to form walls while ponies patrolled them. Once we got into range, the group leader halted us.

"Alright my little assault squad, here's the plan. Your number will be assigned by how late you arrived. I am on team one. We will be taking the front with team two and four."

Two ponies to my left nodded in agreement. They also looked to be the best armed, even next to the mercs.

"Teams three and five are to go around the left and right respectfully. Either flush them out or gun them down as they run out."

Sunny gave a nod. Our area to attack was a small dinner. It looked like the only way to enter was busting a window or a door. Sunny levitated out her large pistol she called a 'sawed off'. She cracked it open and loaded two fresh rounds.

"Hey, got any shotgun shells?" This was an odd question. She didn't have a shotgun.

"Why would you need shotgun shells? Frankly I don't know what a shotgun shell looks like."

The response was a quick facehoof followed by a bullet being levitated into my face.

"This. This is a shotgun shell. It's not called a sawed off shotgun for a reason."

A very quick shuffle though my saddlebag revealed none.

"Well Slashy, don't worry. It'll be stupid to carry around ammo you can't use."

The signal the battle had started sounded. We quietly moved up to the building. Sunny quickly found a window that was broken and we climbed though. She stared at me, expecting me to do something. After a few second, she spoke out.

"Well turn it on." Now I was confused.

"Turn what on?"

For the second time ,Sunny facehoofed then grabbed my Pipbuck leg.
Turn on your EFS."

With that, she hit a button and my eyes where hit by some kind of green lines. I tried to swat at them and did little but slap myself in the face. The lines began to settle and form objects before a message hit me square on out of nowhere.

[Thank you for activating your Eyes Forward Sparkle (EFS). This sub system has been installed by stable tech to insure survival in a unforeseen future of hostility...]

I read though its descriptions on the settings. I decided against the 'Predicted Health Meter' because I don't want to know how close I will be to dying as well as the map updates. They seemed annoying and turned off the body warning alerts. I think I'll know if I break a bone.

Walking down a corridor with an EFS is creepy. I could see where ponies were for a short distance as little dots. This would explain Doc Stitch being able to find us so easily. We found our first raider up on the dinner roof firing a scoped rifle. I took three shots at him from my pistol. My jaw regretting each shot. Two of them missed but the last hit home in his branding. Giving a yelp, he called out some form of profanity. Something about whores and a hellhound. No idea what that's all about. Sunny lined him up and fired once into his head. He dropped like a rag doll. I looked around to see the rest of the Trottinghame Rangers running though the front of the plaza. Sunny gave a quick cheer before indicating to a small two story shop.

"Go see if you can find something good in there. I'm gonna clear the rest of the alley." Before I could reply, she galloped off to kill and be merry.

I kicked down the door. It hurt like hell but was worth it. Right on the table was a magazine called 'Future Buck Today' with a picture of a pony in some amazing looking armor. I wanted it right then and now but couldn't so I slipped it away. Then I saw a new gun. It was a pistol; no clue what type. Looking around, I saw another magazine lucky me. This one was 'Police Stories.' This one read about a long dead pony who was a hero. I looked at the unicorn on the cover. He had an exact match for my new pistol. So, I guess it was a police pistol.

I took a quick look at my Pipbuck. It indicated it had a name, 'Stability'. Not the name I would have chosen but I'm not who owned it. I walked around the floor, looking around, when I heard a door quickly slammed shut upstairs. I ran as quick as I could up the stairs and bucked down the door. I heard the sounds of a mare's scream while doing so. I looked across the room to find a raider mare curled up in the corner. I quickly raised my gun to fire.

"Please! NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE. I'M NOT LIKE THEM!"

Wait, what? Looking at my perceived hostility meter, she was green not red. She was a raider and yet she was begging for her life. Was I really going to kill somepony just for dressing like a raider? She was with the raiders. She was one of them.

"Please, I only joined to help my settlement."

That settled it, I put Stability back in my holster. She was just like me. She did what she needed for her town. I do what's needed for the Stable. She tried to get up but her legs gave way. At this point, it was clear I needed to move her myself.

Author's Note

thanks natasha for pulling off this chapter it seemed to be a harder one