Fallout: the Return

Chapter 10: Ulysses (Celestia’s PoV)

The wind whipped in my mane as two of my pegasi guard ponies flew Luna and I towards Ponyville on our royal chariot. I stared off into the distance, my mind wandering as we passed the rolling hills and fields of crops around us.

“Something on thy mind, sister?” Luna asked, slipping up with her proper speech as she tapped a hoof against my shoulder. Her face wore a look of deep concern for my absent minded gaze out the carriage.I nodded, “I’m stuck on what to do with Chrysalis.”The Changeling Queen was still in the Ponyville jail, her magic nulled by an enchanted horn ring. I also had to address the issue of the human and animal arriving from the Wasteland just two days ago.“Chrysalis attacked you, caused mass panic, and damaged half of Canterlot,” Luna pointed out with a sigh, “Then she foalnapped a mere thrice year old child.” I could feel her anger rising at that crime. In truth, that was the main one I felt she should be punished for.“Yes, she did,” I told Luna with a small sigh, “But she was desperate and mad from all the power she gained.”“Are you seriously considering pardoning her?” Luna gasped out in shock.“No, Luna,” I started, feeling regretful for what I was about to say, “We tried searching her out and attempting diplomacy, but she refuses. Those in her hive were following orders she gave, and I shall let them integrate into our society. As for Chrysalis herself, she must choose her words carefully in our next meeting. I would rather not have her hive to die out due to losing their queen.”“A most dreadful thought indeed, sister,” Luna said, her tone even but laced with a thought she considered. Luna was bad for not looking at ‘the big picture’ and not judging actions to their fullest.The changelings need their queen to reproduce, and without her or a replacement, the hive dies out. The frailty of the hive system was the thing keeping them hiding in the shadows all the years, the queen never making direct confrontation, Chrysalis being an exception.Luna smiled and waved a hoof at a gray pegasus flying upside down while carrying mail towards Canterlot. After the quick pass, Luna faced me, “Cheer up sister, we have a party to attend. Discord said that Fluttershy’s son attained his cutie mark at the age of three and a half.”Our trip was more than just dealing with Chrysalis. I was also going to meet with Christine, and the party served as the perfect lie/excuse to the nobles why I had to leave Canterlot. If I were to tell the truth and say I was leaving because beings from another world were coming through, Parliament would have my head.At the thought of seeing Twilight at the party, however, I spoke with a small smile, “I shall cheer up, my dearest Luna.”With our brief conversation coming to a close as we enjoyed the ride, I lost myself in thought once more.It’s been nearly four years. Four years my former student and her friends have suffered through their experiences. Just the mere glimpses of their nightmares let me know why Luna was sick and irritable for months after their return.And it was because of that which caused me to repeatedly deny Twilight’s plan of going back and fixing the broken world. It was poisoned and broken beyond help, and those I do send will most likely come back changed.I don’t want to send my little ponies to war. Luna could barely handle fighting nightmares, what could a mere pony do in an actual confrontation with the enemies of Rarity’s dreams.I gave a shiver at the severed limbs, bloodstained corpses, and bodies hanging from chains and hooks.Rarity, out of all the other mares, concerned me the most. Twilight, in a letter retelling the events of the Mojave, said that Rarity temporarily went insane to a condition some ghouls suffer: going feral.Rarity turned uncharacteristically aggressive, callously disregarding others life, and at times was suicidal. Now that she was back, her dreams weren’t nightmares, as she could handle remembering how many she killed. To be so calm at night with so much death…It’s been far too long since I’ve seen Twilight or her friends, I need not worry myself and spoil our reunion.

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The guards landed us outside of Sugarcube Corner, Discord having disclosed the time of the party to us since he was Leo’s ‘Uncle’, so to speak.I held a genuine curiosity about Leo. He was conceived when Fluttershy was a human, and he formed a near instant bond with the creature from the Mojave. I was surprised Twilight hadn’t made that connection in one of her letters.Our arrival went unnoticed as music from the small shop echoed through the wooden door, signaling festivities were being held. No doubt most, if not all, of Ponyville was cramming into Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie made sure every square centimeter of space was used for ponies to party.After a few strides off the carriage, I was at the door, Luna behind me. Taking a breath, I prepared to see my little Twilight again after a long time apart.The door swung open at my bidding, and I entered. Out of shock at my presence, the assembled crowd fell silent in a bow, save for the children and the former humans, as well as my equal, Princess Twilight.“There is no need to bow, my subjects. I am here to enjoy the company of my wonderful little ponies,” I said, quickly stepping aside and gesturing for Luna to enter.When Luna and I shut the door, leaving my guards outside to protect the entrance, the party started off again as if I had not interrupted. A welcome feeling as I didn’t want to infringe on anypony’s fun.Music and games were being played by all, even the adults trying their hoof at pin-the-tail-on-the-pony. Off to the left of the door, Pinkie was playing a song she referred to as the Parasprite Polka on a phonograph. It was an annoyingly happy sounding tune, heavy on the tuba and harmonica.Stepping further into the building, I scanned my gaze over to a large glass punch bowl on a table. It was there that I noticed that Princess Twilight, Christine, Rarity, and Fluttershy were talking to each other in a small group. I looked to the newest guest in my kingdom, Christine, her face a roadmap of old and healed-over scars.“Hello, you must be Christine,” I said, paying no heed to her disfigurement. I wanted her to feel as welcome as any other of my little ponies.Christine gave a nod, even with her shorter than average stature, she held no fear for me in her tone, “Yes. I am honored to speak to you, Princess. Twilight wouldn't stop giving me every little detail about you.”“Oh, I’m sure she has,” I said with a small chuckle, “I nearly helped raise her from the amount of times she refused to leave school grounds to sleep. If I am not mistaken by Twilight’s almost constant stream of letters the last few days, you yourself have taken a grasp to magic quite quickly.”Spike must have a terrible stomach ache from all the letters I had sent Twilight back. I did inform her I was going to be in town today, as I planned on dealing with Chrysalis. My appearance at the party however, was a surprise.Christine nodded, “I wanted to help her try and understand why I appeared in this world, so I learned magic. Surprisingly, I haven’t had too much difficulty understanding the basics under Twilight’s tutelage. It’s all concentration and focus.”As good of a point to absorb oneself into a new study if there ever was one, “Good. Are you enjoying the kingdom?”Christine shrugged, “It’s strange seeing the sun again, but I’m adapting. Your subjects are very well mannered and unconcerned with my scars.”I took pride they already accepted Christine into the town. After the incident with Zecora years ago, I was glad the townsponies remembered their lesson.“LET US PARTAKE IN THE DANCING!” Luna bellowed. She managed to shake the walls with the royal Canterlot voice. I rolled my eyes and apologized before making my way over to Luna.“Sister, that was unnecessary,” I scolded like I would a small child. Luna blushed and muttered out a simple, and somewhat half-hearted, ‘sorry.’Sometimes she can be such a foal.Luna moved away from me and began to dance, albeit most ponies vacated the dance floor after Luna’s outburst.With my sister distracted, I turned my head to observe Leo. Levitating a nearby glass of punch from the table, I began to scan him, using my levitating cup to disguise that I was casting another spell.It was just a simple diagnostic spell used by most unicorn doctors. Said spell came back as a normal, healthy, pegasus colt with earth pony genes. Christine came back as full unicorn. No rouge DNA that wouldn’t be found in a normal equine.Interesting. Considering as humans, Twilight and the others still possessed cutie marks.Slowly, I walked closer to Leo, his unbridled mirth heartwarming as he danced with his sister, then Pinkie, then back to his sister.A scan of Tigris came back normal for a full earth pony. I didn’t need a spell to tell me later on in life she’d be stubborn.Finding nothing strange about the children - although they were once humans themselves in the womb - I set my eyes on Raul Alfonso Tejada.His dreams were of the war that destroyed his world. A brilliant flash wringing out death and destruction, trapping him in a state of living death as the world went to Tartarus around him.His outward appearance certainly reflected it; Furless coat, dry cracking skin, no mane, and only a few errant hairs of a black tail.Seeing the destruction, the warped corpses, the shambling wrecks of insane ghouls, it scared me to think such an event happened… but it did.Maybe Twilight was right, we need to help that world. I’m just too afraid of bringing it’s destruction down upon us. I argued in my own mind.I was propelled out of my thoughts when Pinkie snuck close to Raul, giving the ghoul a kiss on his cheek. The both of them smiling and laughing in the way only two lovebirds could.Okay, time to find something more interesting. And frankly, less gross.

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“So the entire casino is covered in the Red Cloud?” I asked Christine. I had been captivated by her tails of the Wasteland for the past forty or so minutes. She was telling me about the Sierra Madre, and the horrors it held.Christine nodded, showing off her newfound magic by levitating a cup of punch to her lips to take a sip. Lowering the glass, she said to me, “Before arriving here, I hadn’t seen a good glimpse of sunlight in four years.”I winced at her statement. A day without sunshine is… well a day without sunshine. Depressing, bleak, and cold. I didn’t ask her who controlled their sun and moon, I knew from Twilight that their planet worked similar to that of other planets besides ours.The forces of gravity and planetary rotation kept the planet orbiting their solar system’s sun, as their moon travelled around the planet.“It wasn’t that bad,” Christine said, “I felt like I was home there. I share the voice of Vera Keyes, and I let my hair grow out to resemble hers. I was as much as a part of that place as Vera was, even singing in her voice to unlock the way for Courier 6 to trap Father Elijah.”Christine had told me many things about him. How he was a father-like saint.A saint who fell from grace and descended into madness.It was a lot to think about. Would I ever eventually get so caught up in power and making things what I think is the best, only to become a tyrant?I was keeping Twilight from going back to help the Wasteland. For four years, I had been making excuses. Anything from cost of resource to claims of keeping foreign diseases out of Equestria.“If I ever fall,” I whispered to low for the other to hear. I felt the cold grip of fear, pestering me of the harsh reality that could bring. Shaking my head, I smiled, “I’m just glad you've given Twilight something to focus on other than working herself to death.”“Yeah,” Twilight stated, “I may have been going overboard with the whole armor project, but it was something to keep me occupied.”I could tell Twilight wanted to add “And it also keeps me awake.”Luna sharing Twilight’s nightmares had hurt me the worst. She was so scarred, locked in a dark machine as it cut and sawed into her. Twilight was afraid of the dark to the point she worked herself into a dreamless exaustion. She had Big Mountain to thank for that.The dreadful place, bastardizing science into some sick twisted mockery just so the scientists there could play as Gods. From what Twilight found in her thankfully short stay, was that the scientists experiments were unethical, cruel, and utterly pointless as they failed to save their world.A sharp gasp, a quivering of the magical energies in the air, and a light alerted me to turn around.Oh, that’s not good.The blue orb of light began to expand in size. Luna and I quickly scanned it, coming up with nothing.A few seconds later, the sphere became clear as glass, showing a human to a backdrop of destruction turn to blueish-grey ash before reforming in this world.“What in the name of Joshua Graham’s God just happened?” The newcomer asked with a surprised, yet authoritative voice.There was a flash of purple as Twilight teleported off, quickly returning in armor.An awkward moment was stumbled through, as the fresh new arrival had landed on Applejack, pinning her. He stumbled back as Applejack said something, and managed to back off of her without assistance.Things rapidly went from relatively good, to unimaginably bad.“Legion!” Sweetie Belle yelled in anger as she pointed one hoof towards the zebra.I barely had time to see the golden bull on the stallion’s saddlebag before my sister’s dark blue magic ripped the zebra into the air by his neck.I had little time to react before Luna was staring him right into the eyes as he clawed at the aura of magic with his hooves, desperately trying to breath.I saw the look on my sister’s face only once before… right before she tried to kill me. I could see her scowl growing as she tightened her grasp.A voice came out low, seething with barely contained hatred, but it wasn’t my dear little sister. The little part of Nightmare Moon still left in Luna was speaking as her eyes narrowed to slits, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t trap you in an endless nightmare for all the pain your Legion has caused.”“Sister, calm down!” I yelled in fear of losing her to darkness once more. Stepping towards Luna, I knew my next words would get through to her, “There are children here. Withhold your temper.”Luna grit her teeth and I could see the zebra’s skin clamp tighter around his neck as he struggled for air. She blinked, and let go of him with a heavy sigh. The zebra fell to the ground, coughing loudly as he massaged his neck with a hoof.Nightmare Moon was no longer in control, my sister was back. Luna still held a scowl, but I could see the corner of her mouth twitch… she was just as afraid as I was.The fact Luna was nearly consumed by rage kept me from harming the zebra.“The rage in you burns like fire,” the zebra wheezed, breathing hard as he glanced up to Luna, his eyes holding regret, “and it is true that I deserve it.”“I know that voice,” Rarity’s voice rasped out as she walked through the crowd of ponies with a look of astonishment. Passing my sister, Rarity stopped to stand a few feet away from the zebra.The zebra weakly faced Rarity, staring at her for a moment. “The half-marked from the Divide,” he noted with a grunt.“Darling,” Rarity spoke slow and coolly, a small smile forming, “It’s been far too long… Ulysses.”I nearly sputtered in shock at how she so casually greeted him.“Sis, get back,” Sweetie belle shouted, “He’s Legion!”Rarity rolled her eyes, “Oh hush now Sweetie,” Rarity tittered, “If he was, I would have saved Luna the trouble of killing him.”The collective gasp from a few of the ponies around us told me my little ponies weren't expecting her to say that.I moved to stand beside my sister, and as I walked I spoke, “Rarity, you know this stallion?”Rarity nodded, “He saved my life in the Divide. The Marked Men had me trapped inside a building, and if it wasn’t for Ulysses’ help, I wouldn’t be here.”I glared at this Ulysses character, slowly studying his braided mane and the red white and blue flag painted on the back of his black duster coat, “Is that true?”He nodded.“Then tell my why you are wearing a Legion Bull.”Ulysses looked down, as if he was a scolded child, “Past memories carried in the mark,” He spoke in low monotone, “I am Ulysses, Frumentarii of Caesar, Messenger of the Legion,” his tone dropped low, “Or I was.”“Pardon me Princess Celestia,” Mr. Cake said as he stood beside his wife, shaking in fear at the recent turn of events, “But weren’t the Legion the ponies our little Pinkie Pie fought against when she disappeared?”Twilight - in a suit of her power armor - answered for me, one of her laser rifles aimed at Ulysses, “Yes, they were. Please note, Ulysses,” Twilight spat, “That you are on a very thin sheet of ice right now.”“Twilight!” I scolded, “Put that thing away. Let’s just all be civil, and think of the children.”Leo, Tigris, and a few other foals were cowering behind Fluttershy, Applejack, and the other parents. Fluttershy and Applejack were crouched low, observing the scene like hawks, ready to spring into action to defend their young.I could see the kids, scared as well as curious to what was happening.Twilight lowered her weapon, drawing a few stares from most of the ponies around us.Seeing the situation defused, if only a little bit, made me sigh in relief. “Now,” I said, with a look over to Ulysses, “can everypony please go home. I have much to discuss with this zebra.”

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And just like that, as if nothing strange happened, these pony beings began to file out of the shop I was in…. as one of them. Or whatever a zebra was. Four hooves, strange walk, I knew I was an animal. Trapped here by some twist of odd fate.The leader figures, Luna and her sister Celestia, I could guess they were leaders from the fact they were referred to as Princesses, and the regalia they wore. Both of them were glaring at me in pure hatred for my past.I wasn’t going to waste my time wondering how Luna nearly snapped my neck without touching me, I needed answers.Almost everyone left, save for the two leaders, a Brotherhood Paladin, a few NCR Rangers, the half-marked, and a few others. The NCR Ranger that pointed out my Legion flag looked too young to be a threat. I was still armed with a 12.7mm SMGI looked to my new hooves and blinked twice.So, fighting’s no longer an option. Time to talk, “What am I?” I asked. It was a logical question, almost pointless as I heard them call me a zebra. I was asking because I needed more to go on than one word.“You are a zebra. Normally a welcomed guest in my kingdom, but you, with that Legion bull, are not,” Celestia said, cool and even. I could tell she was one that had a lot of experience keeping her emotions in, but I could see subtle twitches alerting me to her anger.“I take it the Bear, the Bull, and the Sword have been here,” I said, nodding towards myself, one of the three NCR Rangers, and finally the paladin… who had wings and a horn.“In a way, Ulysses,” Celestia explained, “Do you know how you got here?”I nodded. The brief flash of immense pain before being spit out here. Less hardened individuals would most likely have been rendered unconscious.I tried to stand, but my newfound legs proved too unstable to stand upon, “I was digging through the ashes of Ashton and Hopeville, trying to find pieces of the old world there.”“Why?” Luna asked.“Because I left the Legion, found a new flag to wear on my back. I kept the legion satchel as a reminder of the pain I caused. There are symbols and memories even in the smallest of things. After Courier 6 destroyed everything there, I was driven to destroy him in retribution for those he caused to die.”“Wait, that doesn't sound like Jamie!” The one in power armor, Twilight, I believe Celestia had called her, yelled at me. She took aim with her laser rifle, a purple cloud surrounding it and keeping it suspended in the air. The same purple cloud surrounded the metal horn protruding from her helmet.“He delivered a package that woke up the nukes hidden under the earth. In a single moment, the Divide was formed, all the original inhabitants dead. I only survived because of the old world medical robots keeping me alive.”The rifle was taken from her purple cloud by a golden one, Celestia telekinetically snatching the rifle away, “Twilight, like your friend Applejack, I can tell he’s telling the truth.”The paladin froze in place, shocked at the news. The Courier was careless with what he delivered, and he created the Divide through that carelessness.“He did talk me out of a stupid revenge plot, and I forgave him for the Divide.” I said, chuckling as I remembered the battle. The countdown to the launch ticking down, the Marked Men swarming in, us two Couriers battling the swarm as the little robot he so loved stopped another armageddon.In hindsight, launching nukes wasn’t the best of plans.Celestia looked back to me, “So, you left the Legion.”I nodded, “I did. I was fed up with the destruction and death. I found myself a new place to call home. It was destroyed and people know it as the Divide now. But that’s not important, what is, is how I managed to arrive here.”I turned to the floor, remembering what I was doing before I arrived here, “I was digging through the ashes of Hopeville, trying to find anything that served as a reminder of what the place used to be.“Out of the ashes I was digging through, a machine awoke and set its sights on me. It looked like a scorpion, and when it shot me, I saw myself turn to ash, shortly before I arrived here.”Twilight gasped in shock, “I should have known. Those so called scientists of Big Mountain are responsible!”