Fallout Equestria: Black Dawn

Chapter 1: Confusion

        Brown.  Everyday from sunrise to sunset, brown as far as the eye could see.  As if having to stand watch up here wasn’t boring enough already.  Every goddess-damned thing under the blistering sun had been burned shades brown decades ago; from the almost-black stumps where trees once stood to the reddish-brown remains of old wagons that now lay scattered about, rusting.  Not even a single sign of trouble today to distract me from my monochromatic hell.  Why did Jackpot have to be in the middle of fucking nowhere?

        To call my little crow’s nest a proper guard post would be an exaggeration to say the least.  I spent eight hours a day atop a hastily cobbled together tower made from shipping pallets and old street signs.  Although they would never stand a chance against anything but birdshot, the dull sheen of the metal signs gave the tower the appearance of being sturdier than it really was.  From up here, I stand watch from mid-afternoon until dusk, under the modest shade provided by the small canopy stretched over the tower’s highest platform.

        I was one of several watchponies protecting Jackpot, a small town that rose up around the remains of a long-abandoned casino.  I was responsible for protecting the citizens from raiders and wildlife (and occasionally breaking up bar fights).  Guard duty was a thankless job, but it was not without its perks.  Extra water rations, a free rifle, and the chance to splatter some sadistic raider fuck’s head like a grapefruit?  I jumped at the chance.

        Unfortunately for me, being a guard pony was not all it’s cracked up to be.  Way out here, there was very little raider activity and only a few caravans passing through.  Being a unicorn, I had plenty of options for work in town, but I figured I’d rather put my talents to use by protecting ponies rather than pretending I gave a shit about “Practical Application of Magic to Agricultural Projects.”  As if the hundreds of years of magical radiation and taint poisoning the ground here could be washed away by a hoof-full of unicorns.

        I preferred using my magic in more practical ways.  It would be no exaggeration to say that I was the best markspony in Jackpot…hell maybe even this side of the Everfree Forest.  I had spent years modifying and tweaking my rifle as I sat up in my tower and can shoot the wings off of a bloatsprite at well over 200 paces.

        But I particularly enjoy shooting raiders.  I know it may sound downright evil that I get a kick out of killing anypony, but some ponies just deserve it.  I’ve seen all kinds of horrible, despicable things in the Equestrian Wasteland, but nothing to date has topped all the fucked up shit I’ve seen raiders do.  Sometimes, when the days are slow, I scan the horizon and pray to the Goddesses that I get the chance to rid the world of one of those sick bastards.

CRACK!

As if by some ironic twist of fate, I got my wish.  A bullet struck a support beam next to me, punching right through the wood.  When I finally located the shooter on the horizon my eyes went wide.  Raiders had never been a real problem in Jackpot before, but these didn’t look like raiders to me.  They were well armed and at least one of them almost managed to end me with precise sniper shot (not an easy feat for a crazed pony strung out on Buck and Dash).  No, these ponies were organized…and they were headed right for Jackpot.

        “Fffk!” was all I could manage with my mouth full.  Grabbing my rifle, I hurdled the railing and floated myself back to the ground, trying to save time.

CRACK!

        A second bullet passed through my hindleg and buried itself into the tower.  Now, maybe I’m not a clever pony, but levitating down seemed like a good idea at the time.  The burning pain broke my concentration and I dropped the rest of the way.  As I hit the ground, I heard something inside me crack.

        Looking down now, I could see the blood already matting my coat as the wound slowly oozed.  It took me a minute, but I managed to pull myself back onto my hooves and stumble back into town, shouting the whole way.

        “Raiders!  Get inside!  Raiders!”

I was sure that they weren’t really raiders, but they definitely came looking for trouble.  All that matters now is that I get back and warn the others, the other watchponies would could fend them off until I patched myself up.

        I fumbled with my saddlebags, trying find a bandage I could use to wrap my leg.  Having found one, I clumsily wrapped the wound.  I would have to make sure I paid closer attention the next time Stitch was patching me up in the clinic, Celestia forbid I would ever be truly on my own.

        “Styx!  Get the fuck out here!  I need help!” I hollered, dropping behind some barrels outside of one of the common houses.  Styx was a massive, black earth pony and the de facto leader of Jackpot’s guard ponies.  He used to be a raider himself until his own band of psychos left him for dead a few miles outside of town.  A caravan found him and brought him back here where he’s been helping keep us safe ever since.  Although I trusted him, Styx still didn’t change my policy on raiders one bit.

        Styx came bursting through the door wearing his battle-saddle as I finished securing the bandage.  “What the fuck is going on?! And shit, kid,” he spat, seeing me bloody and battered, “What happened to you?”

        “Raiders…or mercs…at least a dozen…well armed…they mean business.” I managed between deep breaths, my lungs burning as I coughed up just a little blood.  “Off to the south…they’ll be here any minute…round up the rest of the guard…get everypony out now!”

        “Are you alright?” he asked, knowing damn well that I wasn’t.

        “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I insisted, trying to catch my breath, “Just get going.”

        It wasn’t until he set a pistol down next to me that I realized that I had dropped my rifle when I fell.  “Here.  You’ll have to hold out here until Stitch can have a look at you.”

        Now that the adrenaline began wearing off, my chest felt tight and was throbbing painfully.  I knew that I needed more serious medical attention (I couldn’t fix broken bones with potions alone), but until everyone was safe I had to hold off on staggering over to the clinic.  This wasn’t going to be easy, and the fight hadn’t even started yet.

BLAM! BLAM!

        Gunfire in the southern side of town meant that they were already here.  It wouldn’t be long now before they were breaking their way through the whole town.  Jackpot was capable of fending off the odd band of raiders or even the rare (but not unheard of) Hellhound, but at the end of the day, we didn’t have the supplies or sheer numbers to hold off against a dozen mercenaries.  If they didn’t make a stand now at the south gate, the town would be overrun in minutes.

CRACK! THUD.

        This time the sniper hit his mark proper and I heard the body of somepony hit the ground hard.  Why were they just killing us off?  What could they possibly gain by doing so?  And for that matter, just who the fuck were these ponies?!

        “Don’t let them get through!”  I could hear Styx off in the distance.  “Slow their advance, we have to get everypony out!”

        The townsponies galloped past me as I lay behind my modest cover.  “Where are we falling back to?  And why is everything so dark?” Nopony answered me.  I feel tired.  Maybe I should just lay down for a second.

        “…I don’t give a damn!  We carry out the contract to the letter.”  Somepony I’d never heard before was shouting from somewhere I couldn’t see.  “‘Mares and foals‘, that’s what she said she wanted.  Just kill anypony who resists.”

        My eyes were slipping closed as I lay here in a pool of my own blood.  I have so many questions, but I‘m so tired.  Sleep sounds good right now.  Sleep…

*** *** ***

        I awoke in total silence, Celestia’s white hot sun was bearing down on me.  I hadn’t moved from what I could tell.  Everything in my head was a blur and I barely managed to sit upright.  Looking down I was shocked.  My legs were completely stained a rusty brown by all the blood.  Brown.

        I was shaken, but still alive.  The bleeding had finally stopped, but I was still suffering.  I knew I wouldn’t last long out here in the sun; it was hard enough to breath already.  Unable to stand, I managed to crawl my way to the door of the common house.  It took all of my willpower and focus just to open the door with my magic.  It hadn’t even been locked.

        Inside the common house, everything was in disarray.  Shelves flipped over, beds pushed into every corner of the room, various personal items scattered about the floor.  I remembered all the commotion as ponies rushed to escape Jackpot.  Did they all make it out?  Am I the only one left?

Clang.

        I saw an empty can of carrots bounce out of the kitchen and across the floor.  I tensed up.  Turning over my shoulder, I noticed that the pistol Styx had left me was missing…and so were my saddlebags!  What the hell happened!?  Where was Styx?  The thought of being alone and unarmed after what had happened terrified me.  I froze right where I was.  Even if I was armed, I was in no condition to fight anypony.  If I was spotted, whatever they wanted to do to me was going to happen.

        I watched in horror as a brown earth pony with a graying-black mane stepped out of the kitchen and into the common room with me.  Seeing his face, I felt like I recognized him from somewhere.  Did he live here in Jackpot?  No, no he couldn’t have; if he did, he would have escaped been killed like the others.  Regardless, I knew he wasn’t a raider.  I opened my mouth to ask who he was, but nothing came out.  I was parched.

        I tried to get up and walk over to him, but my leg couldn’t handle the weight and gave out.  I hit the ground again in a fit of coughing.  My lungs screamed in pain as I coughed up blood.  The other pony suddenly turned to face me, magically bringing a shotgun to bear.

        He lowered the shotgun, more startled than threatened by my presence.  He cantered over to me and helped me up seeing that I could barely stand, let alone put up any kind of fight.  As he lifted me to my hooves, I noticed that he was wearing two pairs of saddlebags.

        “Damn, son!  Ya startled me!” he began, “Ah thought everyone in Jackpot either got out or got killed days ago.”

        “Those…*cough*…those look like my saddlebags.” I barely managed to spit out.

        “Oh!  I suppose they are, huh?  Sorry ‘bout that,” he said, levitating my bags to the floor next to me, “No hard feelings?  I’m sorry to say that I mistook ya for dead.”

        “Close…,” even in my terrible state I managed a chuckle, “Who…who are you?”

        “Folks call me Easy Pickin’s.  Ah’m a prospector.  Ah usually go from town to town sellin’ whatever Ah c’n find.”  he explained, floating a canteen out of his bag, “Ah got word that Jackpot had been razed and figured Ah might be able to find myself some new inventory.”

        “A prospector, huh? Ever come to Jackpot to trade?”

        “Ah wander in from time to time.  Why?” he asked, passing me the canteen.

        “I knew that I’d seen you before…but I couldn’t place it…”  I took the canteen and drank from it greedily before finally asking, “And you said ‘got word’?  How long ago was that?”

        “Oh, Ah reckon that was about two days ago, friend.  Dunno when exactly word first got out”

        I was shocked.  I had been unconscious for at least two days?  No wonder he thought I was dead.  This just made my head hurt even more.

        “Do you know what happened here?” I asked, hoping that he’d at least heard a rumor that could help me remember.

        “Ah can’t say that Ah do,” he started, “Sorry.  Hell, Ah thought maybe ya’ll would know seeing as you were here.”

        “Everything is a blur.  Somepony shot me, that much I know.  All I remember after that is shouting and more gunshots.  Then I passed out…”  That was really all I could remember.  “Any chance you know a good doctor?”  I asked out of blunt necessity, coughing again.

        “Ah can’t say that Ah do off hoof.  Ah do have something that ought to help ya though.” he began, “Ya’ll can have it, but Ah’m not certain if healing potions are meant to fix broken bones.”

        “I’ll take my chances.  I think I just cracked a few ribs.”  In reality, I had no idea whether or not my ribs had just cracked or broken, but I needed the pain to stop.  If I wasn’t dead by now from a punctured lung, then they must be close enough to mend properly, right?  “Please, can I have it?”

        “Well, sure.  Ya’ll need it more than anypony, Ah suppose.”  He floated the vial to my lips and I drank it down without a second thought.

        Almost instantly I could feel the magic coursing through my body as the pain dulled and my bones began to mend.  I could finally breathe easy.  I felt a warmth as the hole in my leg sealed itself, too.  Now if I could just get a bath and something to eat, I might even feel up to setting out right now and finding out just what the hell happened.  I guess I can’t have everything I want, right?

        “Oh, before Ah forget, Ah took this from ya too.” Easy Pickin’s levitated Styx’s pistol out of his bags.  “Ah guess ya’ll are gonna need it.”

        I wanted to just let him keep it in return for the potion, but he had a point.  The wasteland was a dangerous place, especially without a weapon.  I had wanted to give him something, but I literally had lost everything.  Even my shack across from the common house had been burned to the ground.

        “Please, if there is anything I could ever do to repay you…” I started.

        “Well, seeing as Jackpot was a bust for me, Ah’ll be headed on to the next town now.  Ah wouldn’t mind a second gun and an ear to gnaw on ‘til Ah get there.”

        “Absolutely!  I still can’t thank you enough.”  As the thought came to me, I quickly added, “Do you think anypony will know about Jackpot where we’re headed?”

        “Well Ah know one thing for sure, ain’t nopony round here that seems to know.  Now it’s getting dark so Ah‘ll give ya a while to rest now, but Ah wanna get going tomorrow.  Walking everywhere takes and awful long time, you know.”

        “Oh, trust me, I have more than a little experience walking all over this Luna forsaken hellhole.”

        With that, I trotted over to one of the beds that were still mostly intact and laid down.  I managed to find a single fresh apple from the greenhouse (maybe that whole “Magic Crops” thingdid have potential) laying on the ground in the common and happily ate it.  “Well,” I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep, “Tomorrow can’t possibly be any worse...”