Fallout: the Return

Chapter 15: Endgame

Gleaming Spear opened his eyes slowly, his head reeling at the sight of the bright blue sky above him. Wincing at the utter blueness, Spear rolled to his side, his head feeling as if it would explode from headache alone.

“You didn’t have to push him,” Spear heard Princess Twilight complain.“I didn’t have to, but it was fun,” It was Christine. He recognized her voice as the one who pushed him into the portal. Flailing his limbs, he tried to stand to take revenge against her, only to thrash in the sand under him.“I’ll fucking kill you for that!” Spear cursed, losing his nerve as he tried to maneuver his new strange limbs. With the armor on, he felt like an upside down turtle. After a few futile minutes of struggling, Spear relented with a loud curse, relaxing his muscles.“You finished?” Christine asked flatly before reaching a hand down to him, surprising him at her new form. Her face and armor was the same, but not her body. It was the exactly the same, he realized, for Princess Twilight… and him.Spear didn’t move, and with the helmet still resting next to his head and puddle of vomit, Christine could see his clenched jaw and narrowed expression of anger. As well as being extremely angry. Spear was also confused, but too mad to care.“Come on,” Christine cooed, “Take my hand you big baby. You only just had your body magically ripped apart then put back together as an entirely different species. Rarity and Ulysses have already got a head start on us.”“Their head start,” Spear said tersely, “is not my problem. What is, is that I can’t move!”“Take my hand, and I’ll help you move,” Christine ordered sternly, suddenly turning serious, “There's shit out here that I don’t want to deal with, and you’re making a fat fucking target for them.”Spear had no idea what she could be referring to, but if it meant dealing with more of those monsters back in Equestria, then he had better listen. Taking a deep breath, he moved his arm upwards - it was shaking heavily but he still had control over it - and grabbed the hand of the yellow armored woman standing above him.With a firm pull, Christine had Spear standing on his feet, surprising him of her strength. Looking down to his new body, he felt like a clumsy foal as his knees wobbled and threatened to buckle. He spread his arms to balance himself out, not wanting to fall back down again.“Heh,” Princess Twilight laughed as she picked up Spear’s helmet and placed it back on his head. She adjusted it a bit to make it comfortable, and Spear was silently grateful for that. “I remember when I first turned into a human. I face planted into a door.”That was an expression Spear didn’t hear often, or at all for that matter.“Welcome to my world, Spear,” Christine said, changing the subject as she motioned her hand around in a small circle, “It’s a shithole. If you ever wonder about my scars, I got them here.”Spear followed Christine’s moving hand, looking past it to the crumbling buildings, tall pillars of concrete, and seemingly endless craters. In the middle of it all, a massive dome shaped building. They were standing in the middle of open ground, a green vehicle of sorts with a long flat bed and arches for a canopy nearby. Spear was speechless, taking in the strange sights of the brown, lifeless land that surrounded them.Wow, Spear thought, this place is a mess.There was a loud buzz in the air, causing Spear to perk his head, “Dr. Klein, page me when I give a damn!”“Oh, who’s the big voice on the intercom, Zeer-Oh!? In other news, I SOUND LIKE GOD!!”Spear was shocked at the sudden appearance of the voices and began shifting nervously on his feet, taking the laser rifle weapon that was given to him in his hands. Though the rifle was boxy, it still sat comfortably in his hands. Somewhat calm being able to defend himself, he caught sound of Christine gritting her teeth, letting out a growl afterwards.“Those incompetent excuses for scientists,” Christine seethed, “Bastardising the field of study for quick results that never come to fruition.”She definitely had some history with whoever had spoken, and it certainly wasn’t a friendly relationship. However, a different question popped into his head.“I take it you’re a scientist?” Spear asked, although shakily. Dealing with Luna’s Royal Canterlot Tone on a regular basis kept him from outright shaking in fear of the loud voices that had seemed to boom from everywhere.“I was a Scribe,” Christine said softly, her voice nostalgic, but then rapidly turned hostile, “until a group of skeletons captured me and ripped my head open. I was near dead by the time the machine was done with me, and my brain was permanently damaged.”Spear recoiled from the sudden revelation. It came out of no where, and if he wasn’t in this alternate world, he would swear she made it up. He glanced to Princess Twilight, who had let out an unexpected curse. “Sorry,” she apologised to him, “They hurt Christine, and now she can’t enjoy reading. They also are the ones that use the scorpions. We need to stop them, any way possible. If we can’t talk sense into them - which is possible since I was here when the Courier, Jamie, talked them into letting us go - then we’ll have to kill them.”Despite what was said, the bitter coldness of Princess’ tone told Spear they weren’t here to talk.From the amount of guards not returning to their mares back home, Spear didn’t have a problem with taking them out. He’d like to do it personally, if possible. A little recompense for those slain just the night prior.Before their conversation could continue, Rarity ran up to them, cradling her rifle in her arms with Ulysses following behind.“You need to look at this,” Ulysses said in his rattly monotone as they stopped in front of the group. He may have wanted to put up a bold front, but his eyes betrayed an emotion that rocked Spear to the core. It was nervousness, maybe even a hint of fear.Oh, that doesn't sound like it will bode well.

<>~<>~<>

“I’m a little teapot short and stout,” a young colt sang in a sandbox. Another child, this one a filly, sat next to him watching her brother’s work. “Here is my handle here is my spout. When I get all steamed up hear me shout, just tip me over and pour me out.”When Leo ended his song, he also finished his small, simple castle. It was nothing more than a mound of dirt piled up with more piled dirt representing walls, but to Leo, it was an impregnable castle of grand architecture.Then, without warning or advocation, Tigris jumped on it. Perhaps it was out of jealousy for her brother’s work, or just plain sibling meanness. No matter the cause, the walls came tumbling down.“No!” Leo wailed. Angry at the destruction of his fortress, Leo ponced on his sister. Both their mommies gasped, but Leo didn’t care.Hooves flailed and combat raged. It was a truly epic great sibling battle… until their mothers separated the half-siblings, scolding the children for their rowdy behavior.

<>~<>~<>

“Fuck,” Spear cursed quietly as he lied atop a large boulder with the others, eying the dregs of humans around the central dome building through a pair of binoculars. Most of the humans wore sackcloth hoods and paper-thin medical gown, whereas others were dressed in grease stained jumpsuits. All of them were armed with an assortment of weaponry ranging from simple knives to deadly shotguns. Robotic scorpions patrolled between the humans, who, for the most part, were standing stock still.“Lobotomites,” Christine commented as she held her own pair of binoculars, “Not the most intelligent bunch, but they know their way around a weapon. I’ve never seen this many before.”“They’re just standing there,” Twilight said as she held a hand to her helmet. An enchantment on it allowed her to zoom in and out with the headgear. No binoculars required. It was a neat modification, and Spear made a mental note to ask her more about it later.“Can I please kill something?”  Rarity asked, lining up headshots with her Anti-Material rifle, waiting to pull the trigger, “I haven't taken my daily anti-bitch pill, and the feral in me really wants to kill something.”“What?” Spear asked in shock, pulling his gaze away from the mob of enemies to stare at Rarity in disbelief.Rarity chuckled at his surprise, saying with a smile under her helmet, “Yep, I’m on meds to keep my anger suppressed. I nearly went feral ghoul and now I have to take extra-strong doses of antipsychotics to keep my anger in check.” Rarity’s tone changed to regret, “If I don’t, I get urges. Violent ones.”Rarity made a nod with her head, towards one of the seemingly hundreds of Lobotomites, “He would look good dissected.”Though Spear couldn’t tell which lobotomite she was referring to, it still made him slightly pale. The mares and zebra stallion with him had seen more horrors than he could even begin to think of, and it obviously changed Rarity. So exactly what did this horrible world have waiting for him?Christine chuckled, facing Spear specifically, “I have a plan. I call it… Operation Spearpoint.”Why does that sound like it involves me? Gleaming Spear internally groaned.

<>~<>~<>

Queen Chrysalis walked the streets of Ponyville, minding that she didn’t disturb the dead. And there were many of them. Corpses discarded like trash as stallions sorted the civilians from the soldiers before placing sheets over them.The previous night’s fighting had been the most brutal combat the Changeling Queen had seen in all of her long life. Even her invasion of Canterlot resulted in zero deaths between the ponies and changelings. Her casualties came after the failed attempt left her and her drones stuck in the Badlands north of Equestria, starving.She lost her vision in one eye due to a subordinate trying to lead a coup d'etat. A lucky attempt on his part that nearly led to her death.The emotions in the air around her were tense. Anger and distrust were all Chrysalis could detect with her magic, some even directed towards her. She knew that everypony remembered Canterlot, and the fact a large portion of Lunar Guards with fresh Solar Guard reinforcements were in town, made the large Changeling uneasy.What now? The Queen asked herself in thought, what do I do now?As she aimlessly wandered, her thoughts kept drifting back to the form she adopted to combat the hordes of enemies. What was referred to as a Deathclaw. The name held no meaning to her, but the draconic form was fierce in combat, capable of rending limbs from bodies in a single swipe.And, of course, that’s what the Queen had done in that form. Stopping, Chrysalis looked at her bloodied hooves that once were massive claws.Screaming overhead interrupted her thoughts, followed by a large weight landing on her back, smashing her chest to the ground with legs splayed outward in a near comical way.“Bloody ‘el,” the pony that landed atop her cursed, a stallion with an accent that sounded like it came from Bridle or Manechester, “I am so sorry. My wife lost her grip.”Turning her head to look at the pony on her back, Chrysalis bared her fangs in a forced smile, “That’s okay,” she growled with forced friendliness.The brown stallion atop her jumped away, wings spreading out as he did “Whoa!” he exclaimed, “Didn’t expect to land on the fuckin’ equivalent of this world’s Cazador.”Standing up to her full height, she was prepared to tell the stallion with the Bridleish accent off, but a pegasus she recognized as Rainbow Dash flew overhead, stopped, and hovered. She crossed her forelegs and looked at the stallion, “Well, Nolan, it’s not my fault you weigh, like, a ton. You’re the one eating all my pickles and ice cream.”“I do not, Love,” the stallion replied back, “Why do you even have those anyway? You’re not even that far into your pregnancy. You knackered in the head or somethin’?”“I’m just preparing,” Rainbow Dash shot back, rolling her eyes and groaning.As the couple began to debate back and forth, Chrysalis closed her eyes and shook her head, before walking further into town.Maybe I should talk to Celestia, though, I doubt she’d be in a good mood after... Chrysalis stopped her thinking to gaze around the half-ruined town… this.

<>~<>~<>

Spear didn’t like the plan. He really, really, really, really didn’t like the plan. He knew it would most likely get him killed. It was probably the reason Christine had volunteered him for the job. Sneaking from rock to rock, the thestral turned human was glad for the helmet keeping the bright sunlight out of his eyes. It would be one less thing to distract him from getting caught. He got over to his position, which was a small makeshift road leading to a nearby canyon. The very large mass of lobotomites lumbered around, unaware of his presence, but it wouldn’t last long. His nerves were faltering as he stared at the enemies, but he held strong. He didn’t want to feel the wrath of Rarity, or Christine, or Ulysses, or Princess Twilight...As he shifted his weight between his feet, Spear cupped his hands to the front of his helmet. His mind replayed the words Christine had instructed him to shout. “Come and get some fresh meat, you fucking no-brains!” he yelled, nearly out of breath from the exertion.The heads of the lobotomites turned towards him, some were sluggish while others faced him with amazing speed. They all knew he was there, and that meant he got their attention. And this, in turn, meant he could execute the next part of the plan.With adrenaline pumping through his body, he turned on his heel and took off in the opposite direction, running for his very life. Though his heavy armor was weighing him down considerably, he didn’t dare slow down. The sound of hundreds of people chasing him showed that they were definitely on his tail.I hate my life! he shouted in his head repeatedly.

<>~<>~<>

“You know, I learned something in the NCR,” Pinkie Pie said to Raul. The pair had decided to meander on the edge of town, patrolling for any more nasty surprises. Though there was none to be found, the opportunity to converse was abundant.“And what’s that, seniorita?” Raul asked, levitating his sombrero off his head to wipe sweat with a foreleg. He fell behind only slightly, having gotten used to keeping up with others while using his forelegs.“I can handle the pressure of… well, all of it really. Last night, I was fearful, yes, but I was also in the zone. It was cray-cray,” Pinkie said, no hint of remorse or fear in her voice, only happiness.Raul chuckled at Pinkie’s childish expression, a toothy smile playing across his lips. He then returned to a neutral expression, his thoughts thinking back to the eventful night. “Yeah,” Raul said with a nod, “I guess you were. You kept Pound and Pumpkin safe.”There was a bark, and both Raul and Pinkie looked back down the road. Running in leaps and bounds was the old Legion mongrel, Chrome. Firmly biting his grey furred tail was Gummy, Pinkie’s pet toothless alligator. The baby alligator’s paws dragged in the dirt as he kept a firm bite on Chrome’s tail.The display had Pinkie smiling, who then returned to her conversation with Raul as they continued their walk. “I did, didn’t I?” Pinkie picked up from where they left off, “But, I find it strange that I feel totally fine after all that. The only reason my mood is crummy is because good ponies died last night. But, war will have casualties. I knew and cooked for almost every NCR trooper at Hoover Dam. I guess I’m jaded to death now.”“What are you getting at?” Raul asked, arching his brow.“I’m thinking of enlisting in the Royal Guards,” Pinkie replied, a small, sad smile playing across her lips.Raul nearly choked on air, suddenly stopping in his tracks to look at his marefriend incredulously. She kept walking however, unfazed by his reaction. “¿Qué!?” Raul said incredulously.“No ‘Whats’,” Pinkie argued, his voice tense as she stopped a few feet ahead of Raul. “It’s something I’ve already made my mind up on. A lot of good mares and stallions died last night because of what my friends and I went through four years ago. I’m going to enlist. I’m going to go from a baker's apprentice to a soldier, Raul. Maybe even as a cook for familiarity’s sake.”Raul winced, looking to the ground with shock. “Dios mio,” he groaned, “And you think it will be the same as the NCR?”“It doesn't have to be,” Pinkie said, trotting back to Raul. She placed a hoof on his shoulder, lifting his chin with the other hoof to gaze into his eyes, “All that matters is that I’m going…” Pinkie looked to the ground, tears dampening the corners of her eyes, leaking out to stain the dust covered fur under them, “and that this is goodbye.”Raul was shocked to hear those damning words. “Wh-what?” he stammered, too afraid to move like he would miss the precious words that it was all just a joke. His old heart was racing, more so than any Deathclaw could instill, and he could feel his gut tighten in despair. “What about us, Pinkie, what about us?”Pinkie gave him a puppy-dog-eyed look, “Please, don’t be mad at me, I’ll write you every day I’m gone.”“But we’ll be apart,” he explained, his voice just above a whisper. “Who knows how long you’ll be gone?”“I don’t know,” Pinkie softly replied, her uncertainly making Raul’s reassurance take a dive, “But I’ll write. Please, keep Chrome and Gummy safe for me.”And with that, Pinkie dropped her hoof away from Raul’s shoulder, slowly walking away from the petrified stallion with her head slightly lower than normal, mane limp.She’s leaving. She’s actually leaving. Say something, you stupid old man. Convince her to stay. But what can I say?Raul looked down to Chrome who had caught up with him and was patiently waiting on the side of the road. Gummy still chewed at Chrome’s tail, and the duo were seemingly oblivious to their master’s departure. Or perhaps they somehow knew they needed to stay.Please, Santa María, please let her come back to me.

<>~<>~<>

Fear. A great motivator to push one’s body to the absolute limit. In the case of Spear, this was most certainly the case, as he ran like an army was chasing him.Because it was.The rocky terrain worked against him as he made his way to the canyon. At that point, his legs had a mind of their own, working hard even though his brain protested against it. Entering the mouth of the canyon, Spear momentarily took note of the toppled railcars and boxes of supplies littered the ground before turning his attention back at the matter at hoof, or hand. The train tunnel beyond the small line of cars was locked tight, forcing the trailing Lobotomites to funnel their way through, narrowing their numbers as they pushed and shoved to get to Spear first.The predestined spot was chosen by Twilight, and Spear saw a glint on the top of the canyon wall from Rarity’s rifle scope. Spear barely had time to see the glint before there was a flash of light, and he was suddenly atop the canyon wall, running away from Twilight with Rarity prone by her legs, lining up rifle shots.Twilight had teleported him, and he gratefully took the moment to fall to his knees, enjoying the air much more than before. Despite his tired muscles, he forced himself to wobble over to the the ledge Twilight stood upon, stuck between a crawl and a shaky walk. When he arrived next to Twilight, he saw the legion of Lobotomites fill the canyon. It was a scary picture, especially since he would have been in the center of it all if it wasn’t for Twilight.The Lobotomites were still staggering along, still chasing Spear who was no where in sight. It reminded Spear of how dumb these things were. They shambled along, right into the minefield set by Ulysses and Christine. The two of them, specifically, had taken positions on rocky outcroppings on the side of the canyon, with weapons Ulysses had stored in his hide out. A couple of Marksman Carbines; deadly accurate, and perfect for taking out straglers.A resounding boom echoed through the area, the canyon filling with explosions, as well as a multitude of limbs. The gore was understandable, but that didn’t stop Spear from looking away. He was lucky he had already dumped the contents of his stomach already. When the noise had settled down, he glanced back, only to find a mess of blood and body parts, scattered around the area like a psychopath's decorations. There were a few stragglers around, but they were quickly taken down by Ulysses and Christine, their gun shots reverberating after the large blast only seconds before.Spear didn’t feel disgusted or revolved as he scanned the ruins, but with glee, as his lips curled into a happy smile. He would’ve considered if he had lost his mind, but he was just glad those things were taken care of.“Ha ha! it worked, it actually worked!” Gleaming Spear cheered, giving a fist pump as the last of the shots from the three snipers died down. Twilight couldn’t fight back a giggle at Spear’s celebration. The sound did snap Spear back into reality, and made him realize he was in the presence of a princess. Clearing his throat, he quickly contained his excitement as he tried to forget his loss of control. That only made Twilight giggle more.“It worked alright,” Twilight said with a nod, sounding serious as she looked upon the carnage below. “I have to hand it to Christine, she can be amazing at times.”“Most certainly,” Rarity commented, surprising Spear a bit as she stood up. He had forgotten she was there. Without any movement, she stared out into the canyon, her next words sounding hollow. “Let’s end this.”Hardening his features, Spear couldn’t agree more; he was tired of all the craziness.

<>~<>~<>

It didn’t take long for the small group to make it back to the Dome and to defeat what robotic scorpions that wandered around, especially after taking out the main force of the Dome’s defenses. And at long last, the group stood right outside the metallic door to the home of the scientists responsible for their recent trouble.Everyone’s weapon was loaded, ready to dispense various lead and high voltage justice to the Think Tank. Their revenge was coming, and they could feel it in the air. It was an unsettling sensation, one that made Spear very glad that the four were on his side.“Ready?” Twilight asked the group, standing at the head in front of the door. Rarity chuckled, holding a sinister tone, before nodding.With a few brisk steps, Twilight flipped a switch on a lone panel, and the door opened with a loud hiss of air without any resistance. Spear couldn't’ believe their luck; The incompetent Think Tank hadn’t even locked the door when their army had been destroyed. He had to wonder if they were really dealing with ingenious scientists. As far as he understood from everyone and what he had seen, they were about as unintelligent as a year old foal.Without further ado, Twilight charged inside, laser rifle at the ready, followed by Rarity and Ulysses, then Christine. They had all run inside with no thought about what may lie ahead. Or perhaps they already had, and Spear was just two steps behind them. It would make sense, considering his track record so far.Feeling somewhat confident with these killers with him, Spear sprinted after them, leveling his own weapon as he took note of his surroundings. He definitely had entered a dome, with gray paneling swallowing the ceiling the adjacent walls in a fluid pattern. It was dark, but Spear could still make out objects pretty easily. The group ran along a metal path right up to a platform, which was occupied by…Brains suspended in floating jars, with televisions holding the scariest looking eyes and mouths he had ever seen. And he thought the lobotomites were messed up, these Think Tanks weren’t even ponies- er, humans anymore! He was expecting flesh and blood enemies to face, not machines with creepy smiles and unblinking eyes.Although he wasn’t as terrified as he was with the lobotomites -  as they felt more of a threat -  he still had a natural feeling to get the hell away from them. however, in the process of the three others, he was much braver. This is what they came here for, and he wasn’t going to wuss out at the last moment.“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” The scientist brain-bot floating in the middle of the room bellowed. Spear concluded he was Dr. Klein, the person in charge of the Think Tank. Considering all the other brain-in-a-jar’s were observing from afar, it was a valid guess.“We’re here for payback,” Twilight shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “You caused the death of many ponies you... you hypocrites! This place isn’t a science facility, it’s a freak show that’s been going on long enough!”“DR. DALA, WHAT ARE THESE LOBOTOMITES YELLING ON ABOUT?” Dr. Klein asked, his voice perpetually stuck in a yell as he turned his attention to another scientist to his left.The brain-bot Klein addressed floated over to him, the monitor’s lips shaped more feminine than the others, with a seductive voice to match. “I do believe the little teddy bears are from that place we’ve been purging the failures to. That realm Dr. Mobius’ notes spoke of.”“I KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM, DALA.” Klein retorted in a huff, “THE Y-17 FACILITY TESTED THE ONE THAT STARTED YELLING. MY BIOMETRIC SCANS MATCH THE RESULTS. THE BIG QUESTION IS, WHY ARE THEY HERE? I THOUGHT THE CRACKPOT JUST INVENTED A NICE DISINTEGRATION RAY, NOT A... WHAT DID HE CALL IT?”“Tele-cineration beams,” Dala replied calmly, unaffected by Klein’s volume, “mounted on the robo-scorpion prototypes we have here, the Sierra Madre, and the Hopeville Military Base.”Twilight was fuming, her finger itching to pull the trigger. She could practically feel steam inside her helmet as she glared menacingly at Dr. Klein. “So you just used our home town as a waste bin for your failures!?” Twilight yelled, her very core shaking with rage.She was done talking. Done seeing the brains float and pretend to do science. In a split second, she aimed her rifle and pulled the trigger, sending a hot crimson beam sailing towards Dr. Klein, striking the glass dome but not leaving so much as a scratch.Surprised, Dr. Klein attempted to dodge, knocking into Dr. Dala with enough force to send the two robots clattering to the ground. Twilight kept on firing her rifle until she started doing damage. Each shot melted through metal and wires, making the screens and arms holding them spaz out. By the end of her assault, two piles of ashes and metal slag were all that was left.Two other doctors, Zero and Eight, didn’t have a chance to react. Rarity ended Zero with a single shot from her rifle shattering the glass dome that protected his brain, killing him instantly, while Christine pelted Eight with carbine bullets until he was full of holes.Dr. Bourous tried to run, but Ulysses had already lined him up in his 12.7mm SMG’s sights. It took only half a magazine before the doctor responsible for the cyberdog program, nightstalkers, and cazadores was killed, crashing to the floor in a spectacular clamor of grinding metal and shattering glass.The one-sided firefight lasted roughly the span of eight, maybe nine seconds before all five of the scientists had been killed.Spear was surprised how they just… killed them. So easily and without remorse. It wasn’t like with the lobotomites or the invaders back in Equestria. These were thinking beings, ones that could have been talked out of doing what they did. Sure, Spear had admitted he wanted to end them as well, but that was before he met them. In some ways, he felt regret and guilt. He didn’t even pull the trigger, yet he felt responsible nevertheless. Based off how everyone suddenly went gung ho on these robots, it was probably for the best if he just hid these thoughts away. Glancing over to Twilight, he saw her stand and stare at the two melted scientists she had killed with herself, her expression unreadable.“It’s done,” she said quietly, almost emotionlessly. “We killed them. Ponyville, and the rest of equestria, is safe.” He wording was simple, but it delivered the same meaning as any speech could. Twilight released a sigh before facing the electrical equipment that made up most of the room. “Let’s make sure we turn those scorpions off.”As Twilight finished her sentence, the elevator door behind the group opened with a loud rattle. Everyone spun on the spot, all their weapons aiming at the elevator entrance and ready to take fire if need be. Standing in front of the elevator, however, was a rather baffled human, not a lobotomite, and certainly not another floating brain in a jar.With raised hands, the human exclaimed in a loud, authoritative tone, “Twilight, you better have a good explanation for this.”It was Jamie, or more commonly known around the Mojave as the Courier.

<>~<>~<>

In the center of Ponyville, a large blue sphere suddenly appeared, causing quite a stir for everypony in the vicinity. The guards in town grabbed weapons and prepared to fight another battle, a few managing to acquisition firearms off the corpses of Marked Men. The air was tense as the Guards surrounded the blue sphere, ready for round two.However, a fight never came. From the sphere emerged Christine in her yellow Sierra Madre police uniform, Ulysses dressed in his duster, and Rarity in her Ranger gear. Following behind was the night guard, Gleaming Spear, in his power armor, and Princess Twilight in her own set. Upon their return, the guards eased up, lowering their weapons.However, some guards were wary, staring at the Princess’s group as the portal didn’t close behind them. A few guards nearly panicked as another pony stepped through.The guards knew a warrior when they saw one. His body was young but his features weren’t. Scars barely hidden by his armor told years of fighting, some fights resulting in him losing. His mane, black, had subtle wisps of gray seeping out from the roots, most noticeable on his goatee. A few of the older guards saw that his face was wrinkled slightly, worn by sand and stress. It was odd to see the face of a veteran soldier on a young stallion.Jamie’s heart sank as he saw the destruction Big Mountain had brought onto the town. His lips curling into a sad, disappointed frown. The town would have fit any of the other towns he’d been to in the Wasteland, and seeing such destruction on a peaceful place like this tore him apart internally.“I am so sorry I let them live,” Jamie spoke softly in apology to Twilight, seeing the many sheets lining the sidewalk and the blood covering the streets. “They sent the Wasteland to you.”Jamie gasped when a tall, majestic pony landed in front of him. Her mane was made of colors the wastelander had never seen before, and he couldn’t stop himself but to stare in awe of the white unicorn with wings. He thought back to what Twilight had told him, years in the past.It was Celestia, one of the Princesses in charge of the land. Bowing in respect, Celestia spoke to him.“Hello, Jamie,” Celestia said, surprising him as she knew his name. She knew it because Twilight had described him to her in the past, describing looks that he possessed as a human. It wasn’t hard to change it over to a pony’s body. The black mane and goatee, as well as the desert-camouflage combat armor over a beige coat.“Princess,” Jamie responded courteously, looking back up.“I hear you are a courier, is that true?” Celestia asked, her tone almost motherly sounding to the hardened warrior.“Yes, your majesty,” He replied, a playful smirk escaping his lips, “I am when not adventuring.”Celestia gave a humored chuckle, “Good. I need you to take a message to your NCR’s president. I have spent four years denying the problem you people have faced. It took getting threatened by your world to realize I can no longer sit idly by. It is time for Equestria to lend a helping hoof to the Wasteland.”