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Fallout Equestria: El' dinero Blues

Chapter One:

"Don't let the big dogs push you around. You may be small, but you have a big bark."

I...really wish somepony would shut off that music... please.

My head pounded furiously with each thump of the loud blues music that surrounded me in the close confine's of the bar.  I tried to groan in displeasure, but only a weak sigh escaped my parched throat.

I looked up from my alcoholic beverage to see what I had missed during my quick nap. My head continued to throb painfully though. Wonderful....

Looking up at the stage I saw my friend, Wild Card, dancing with two other cute mares to a Velvet Remedy song. Her nicely toned white rump swaying back and forth to the music, as her beautiful laugh filled the air. She was a unicorn, and her coat is white and her mane is an adorable shade of baby blue. Her cutie mark, (not that I was looking at it), is a deck of pink playing cards. Wild Card had been my best friend every since we were kids, and she was a friend with benefits.  If you know what I mean. If you were there, you would have also noticed that she was brushing up very closely to the mares on stage. That being because... shes bi. Just like me. What? you got a problem with that?

"Oh! I love this song! I wish that I could meat Velvet Remedy in person!" yelled Wild Card to the other mares, with a blush on her cheeks. She looked like she was really enjoying herself.

And why shouldn't she? She deserves some fun. After all, maybe if I was lucky... she would let me join them.

You know. If she seals the deal. Which she always dose.  Hopefully her lucky streak wouldn't fail her tonight. Those other mares looked really cute.

I smiled at the thought of a possible four-way with three mares.

My smiled faltered when I noticed, Jukebox, passed out in a chair not far away from me. Jukebox was a earth-pony like me, and my second best friend, but sadly, not with benefits. He was straight, but maybe I could change that with a few beers and a roofie... hmmm.. Anyway!  He has a red coat and a brown mane. His cutie mark is a switchblade. Also, just like me, he was wearing a black jacket with a large Sparkle-Cola bottle-cap emblem on the back. That jacket marked him and myself as members of, "The El' dinero Sparkle Colts Gang." Or, E.D.S.C.G.  Or, Sparkle Colts Gang for short.

Yea... I didn't come up with the name. Jukebox did back when we were kids. So don't tell me that the name sucks. I know that it dose... but it's our name.

And that's almost all we've got in this world.... besides each other....

"Lucky Chip? you alright?" asked a gentle and feminist voice.

I blinked once and turned my head to the voice. Wild Card was no longer dancing with those mares on stage. She was siting across from me, with a worried expression.

I cracked my neck and smiled. "I fine. Just thinking..." I lost my train of thought for a moment. Then I blinked again. "So what happened with those mares?" I gasped with fake surprise. "Did the great, Wild Card, not seal the deal?!"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "They turned out to be REALLY straight. Like so much that they weren't even open for some adventure!" She through her hoofs into the air in disbelief.  Then smirked and scooted closer to me. Even after all these years she still gives me shivers. "So I guess I'll just have to settle with good, old you." she faked complained.

I winced with fake pain and closed my eyes, crossed my hoofs, and frowned "I'm no ponies second choice!" Then I opened one eye and winked. "But for you... I'll make an exception."

She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Awww, how sweet of you!"

I blushed and was about to respond, but then Jukebox collapsed in between us and landed (muzzle first) into the table. He groaned.

"Ugh! ta..ke me h..o..me, plea..se... I think I h...a..d too much." he drawled out, lazily.

Me and Wild Card exchanged glances. Then sighing, she lifted Jukebox with her magic onto my back, and we payed for our drinks, leaving the bar and heading out into the cold night.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*

We soon arrived at our gangs clubhouse, that was stationed on the east side of El' dinero. Long before the megaspell's destroyed the land, our clubhouse used to be a dance club called: "The Midnight Blues Club." All of the buildings letter lights were long destroyed or stolen. If stolen, then they were probably used in the building of the strip many years back. But anyway, no one was using the old building, so we, and a few other colts from El' dinero, repaired it to the best of our ability's, and the "El' dinero Sparkle Colts Gang" clubhouse was born.

The building itself used to be a dusty midnight blue, long faded from time, and on top of the building was the thing that stood out the most. The clubhouses lights read: "Sparkle Colts Gang," in bright blue neon lights, that would blink every once and awhile.

Outside of the clubhouse, tons of Sparkle Colts members talked and patrolled the grounds. Guarding our gangs territory, with deadly loyalty. Every Sparkle Colts member were like family to everypony in the gang, we all grew up together, and we would all die together. Just like our motto said: "Born in El' dinero. Live in El' dinero. Die in El' dinero."

Sometimes this city feels like a stable, and I really don't want to die here.... Wow! I didn't know that I could say something so  depressing.

Trotting inside, some of our friends waved at us and smiled. We returned the gestures the best we could, and trotted up the stares to the second floor.

We opened the door to an empty room and went inside. The lights flickered for a moment, then we got a good view of the room. It was nothing to grand, just an old dance room that we converted into a bedroom. I placed Jukebox onto a dusty bed, and kissed his forehead. He swatted me away in his sleep and I giggled. Even In your sleep you still have to be straight, but I'll change that someday though.

Turning around I saw that Wild Card was leaning against the door. She winked at me and turned to leave, flicking her tail from side to side. I grinned and followed her to another bedroom.

It was going to be a fun night.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*

When I awoke, I felt around in the bed for Wild Cards body, but to my surprise she was gone. Sitting up in bed, I rubbed my eyes to clear the sleep away, and then looked around the room.

The morning sunlight was just coming trough the windows, and it's rays illuminated the room with a warm feeling. I hummed in bliss from the warmth. The nights in El' dinero could get so cold, and the daytime's sun was always a welcomed friend.

Speaking of friends.... what was Wild Card and Jukebox up to?

So pushing the bedsheets off me, I picked up my gangs official jacket and slipped it on. Then I felt my pocket with a hoof for my switchblade. It was still there. Good. Now feeling secure, I trotted to the door and opened it.

When I made it down stares, the first floor was completely crowded with members of the gang. They all argued amongst each other about something I didn't know. That was going to change fast....

*Cough!*

Everypony stopped there bickering and turned to me. In the crowd I spotted Wild Card and Jukebox. They looked scared. I didn't like it when they were scared.

"What's going on? Why is everypony freaking out?" I asked afraid. I looked into my friends eyes, but they all turned away from my gaze. Not even Wild Card or Jukebox would talk. OK! something was defiantly wrong.  I suddenly got louder. "I said, whats going on!" I screamed.

Wild Card sighed and trotted up to me. Was she crying?....

"Lucky Chip... something really bad happened to the gang..." Tears fell down here cheek, and she couldn't bring herself to continue.

What? nothing ever bad happens to the gang. No one ever messed with us!  What was going on?!

"What happened?"

Wild Card buried her face into my chest and cried away into my blue coat. I was so surprised that all I could do was wrap a hoof around her body. That only made her cry harder. Awesome job, lucky Chip. I pulled my eyes away from the crying mare and into the eyes of Jukebox, who was also crying.

I asked him simply....

"Jukebox... what happened?"

He sighed and took out a bloody Sparkle Colts Gang jacket from a saddlebag. My eyes widened... and I backed away slowly. This was imposable... nothing ever bad happened to us. We ever had one of our own... die- NO!  Who ever that jacket belongs to must be okay, right?

But from what Jukebox had to say next confirmed my fears.

"Last night, one of our own was found dead outside the El' dinero strip gate. We expect that he was killed by one of the Mafia family's." He winced at his own words.

This...no...no! this wasn't happening. Not once in the gangs history were one of us... murdered. It was just unthinkable....

I felt like passing out, and not just because one of our own was killed, but because the El' dinero mafia family's are among some of the most powerful factions out here in the west of the wasteland. Their power was just under the might of the NCR, who had set up an outpost in the strip years ago, and the Las Pegasus mafia family's a few miles away from the city of El' dinero.

"W-Why do you think that they killed him?" I asked, close to blacking out.

He looked back to the others, who nodded. Then he turned to me with a frown. "Gold Plate, he... had a gambling problem and owed a lot of money to the "The Blue Diamond Mafia" That's probably why he was killed."

Gold Plate was gambling? A member of out gang... was gambling somewhere else? And even after I instructed them that If they wanted to gamble, then do it here! were its safe! Gambling anywhere else could end in something like.... this.

I stood there, dumfounded. This was just too much. I couldn't do anything as I listened to my fellow gang members and friends cry out in worry.

"What do we do?!"

"Oh! poor Gold Plate!"

"Are we at war with The Blue Diamond Mafia!?"

"Do we fight back?!"

"Hell no! lets just get the hell out of here!"

I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I blinked and revised that Wild Card was talking to me. What was she saying?....

"What do we do, Lucky Chip?" she asked. Why was she asking me? I'm not the leader of our gang. In fact... we never had a leader. Our gang was more like a republic of sorts.  Or, are we more like a dec- Wait! I'm getting off topic...

She gave me a sad smile and a kiss on the cheek.  That gave me some of my confidence back.

I transferred my attention back to the others in the room. They all had stopped there bickering and were looking to me. They were looking to me... for leadership.

Shit.

I coughed once and hoped onto a table. Knocking over someponys beer, but no one cared. I looked down at my friends and fellow gang members. They all looked at me with hopeful smiles. Thinking that I had the answer to our problems.  I  then looked to Jukebox and he winked at me.... Yes!.... But it was probably just a support wink.  Boo!...

"We... we..." I gulped. "We shou- Will learn more about the The Blue Diamond Mafia before we do anything. We should also  looked over the crime scene again, just to make sure that it WAS a mafia family who killed Gold Plate." My blood was pumping and I started to feel almost high from my own words. Gosh... that sounded very narcissistic. "And If The Blue Diamond Mafia did murder Gold Plate, then they better be ready for a war with the baddest street gang, east of the El' dinero strip. Because the  Sparkle Colts Gang aren't a bunch of pushovers!" I stomped my hoof on the wooden table.

There was silence for a moment, then...

"Hurry!" Everypony in the clubhouse cheered and were fully behind my plan.

With the Goddess help... we might just survive this coming war.

Footnote: Welcome to the real wasteland.

Level up:

New perk -- The Good Word - You gave a very grand speech to your fellow gang members. Giving them confidence and hope. From now on, when you need to talk your way out of a bad situation your luck will increase.

New quest perk -- Sparkle Colts Pride -- Your grand speech gave you a mighty narcissistic confidence boost. +50% Speech increase.

NEW TRAITS!

Mayor of Speech:

You can now convince others to do whatever you so desire, just as long as they aren't that smart.