My Kingdom of Rubble

The pair sat there in silence, the only sound being the crackling of the fire in front of them. Chrysalis for her part was hanging on every word the Courier spoke, analyzing the strategies and mindset of the man sitting before him. How one being could manipulate, threaten, and kill his way into power to such a degree was enough to send the queen reeling.

"Your story is a unique one, Ozzy, I will tell you that." Ozzy looked toward her, tiredness prevalent on his features. "I do have one question, though." Ozzy was curious. He was sure that he recanted a pretty basic overview of his life. "You do all of these things in the name of consolidating power for yourself. What gave you this drive to lord over your kingdom?"

He pondered that. As far back as he could remember, he had always yearned for a superior position of power. "To be completely honest, Chrysalis, I can't tell you that. I've wanted to live this kind of life for most of my life." He looked back toward the fire. "I can, however, tell you what reignited my passion for seeing some semblance of justice done in my world."

The queen was intrigued. "Do tell." Her tone showed that she was enjoying hearing the Courier's tales, and were it not for the subject matter, Ozzy would be a great deal more exuberant about sharing his story. "There was this boy that I met at a trading post. He was a little weird, but that's the norm for the Wasteland." Ozzy let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Anyway, this kid. I never knew his real name, but he called himself 'The Forecaster'."

Chrysalis tilted her head in confusion. "Forecaster? Comparable to a weather pony, yes?" Ozzy smirked. "Kind of. Let me explain: this kid, this little orphan, suffered from these migraines. He wore this headgear on his head that he called his 'medicine'. What happened was that when he took off his medicine, he would start speaking about events, places, people, all in a very fortune teller-esque fashion. He sold these thoughts for caps, and that's how he made his living."

Chrysalis made a silent 'oh' with her mouth, understanding the situation more clearly. "So, this child was essentially just a fortune teller?" Ozzy pointed at her. "Correct. I met him, and I guess we just hit it off. He was pretty cool once you got to know him." Ozzy scanned the walls of the cave, looking away from the queen. "I felt bad for him, and believe me, I am the farthest thing from empathetic. Something about this kid, though. I just wanted to take him back with me. Give him a home, you know. That way he wouldn't have to live out in the middle of the goddamn desert."

Chrysalis slowly nodded. "You felt a greater sense of attachment to the child. Did you offer to take him in?" She adjusted her position on the floor. "I did, eventually. I asked him if he wanted to come back to Vegas with me, but every time that I did, he refused. That didn't stop me from visiting him a lot, though." Ozzy picked up Blood Nap, twirling it on the ground. "What happened to the child?" Chrysalis asked.

That's when Ozzy's visage took on a more sullen expression. Memories and emotions stirred within the Courier, but he internally reminded himself to keep his emotions in check. "I went back one day. After Hoover Dam part two. The place was deserted, that apparently being one of the main routes used by the NCR to carry their wounded away from the battle." Ozzy grimaced, a familiar anger burning inside of him. "For some God-awful reason, the NCR decided that whoever they came across was an enemy. It didn't matter what they looked like, or even if they offered help. Everyone who they encountered was shot on sight."

Chrysalis frowned at this. Murdering innocent civilians without a somewhat reasonable cause? That was a cowardly tactic in most people's books. Ozzy continued, his voicing gradually increasing in decibel. "And I have no idea why, but they decided, 'Hey! This kid who poses absolutely no threat to us is cowering in a box, what should we do with him?'" Ozzy threw his hands up, pointing to objects that only he could see. "'Why not hang him from a nearby street pole, upside down, and see who could hit where while they're blindfolded?'" He stood up. Chrysalis slowly inched away from the man.

"He was a fuckin' kid, for God's sake! I found him with thirteen bullet holes in him! I could tell that he was still breathing until that last one penetrated his skull!" Ozzy began pacing, waving his arms, pointing at random objects. He turned to Chrysalis, his eyes akin to a crazed mans. "I'll tell you this, Chrysalis. I may regret a great number of things that I have done, but when I went scouting and found their temporary base camp to treat the wounded, I was in my right mind when I put all of them down like the dogs they were!"

His voice echoed throughout the cave. Chrysalis, for her part, was left staring at the man as he panted, his rage-filled rant seeming to be over. Calmly, Ozzy sat back down in front of the fire, biting into another heap of yeti meat. "As I said before, I cannot tell you when my power-hungriness took hold within my psyche, but that incident is when I said to myself, 'I need to be on some form of throne. I won't settle for anything else.'"

Chrysalis sat their, allowing the man to tear into the meal. She mentally noted that his claims of being unpredictable held merit, as did the fact that the hypocrisy radiating off of him was stifling. "I can see how such an event would lead to the righteous actions which you carried out." Ozzy looked at her, his eyes mostly devoid of emotion. "However, and this is but a trivial matter, but what are 'caps'?"

Ozzy nodded. "Ah. Caps are the form of currency used in the Wasteland. People tried to use the old form, but it was pointless after a time." He continued to devour the meat. Chrysalis adjusted herself, and awkward silence working its way into the air. The only sounds left were the fire, Ozzy eating, and the storm outside. Upon realizing how long they had been talking, Chrysalis felt a food coma coming on. "Indeed. Well, with that, I think I shall lie down for a short time. A nap sounds absolutely delightful right about now." She stood, making her way over to the rotted mattress.

"Ozzy." She called.

He turned to look at her. Her voice barely came out as a whisper when she spoke. "I would like to thank you again for the meal. I could not have done that myself in my current state. I appreciate it very much." Ozzy's eyebrows lifted. "Yeah, no problem, Chrysalis. I'll save some for the trip." At that, she turned around. "Hold on a moment, what trip? Where are we going?" Ozzy laughed at that. "You think I'm going to spend my time in this place in a damp cave? Fuck that. We leave when you wake up, pack lightly and only what you need."

Chrysalis was put off by his demanding tone. "Wait just a minute, who are you to tell me to what to do?" He looked back at her. "You mean to tell me you WANT to stay here? In this shitty, depressing place?" Chrysalis was about to respond, but realized that traveling with him would be a better change of pace than what she was currently experiencing. One thought still nagged at her, though.

"Why would you want to take me with you? I am a war criminal, and certainly not the best companion. Ponies would shun you for even acknowledging me." Ozzy shook his head, swallowing another bite of meat. "Listen, Chrysalis: I like you. You're not so bad to hang around, and you're the first sentient being that I've come across out here." Chrysalis furrowed her brow at the Courier. "Also, I can't leave you here in good conscience. I think you learned from your crimes, and even if you haven't, I don't give a shit."

Chrysalis stood there, rooted to her spot on the floor. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. How this man, this alien, that she met this very day, could let her accompany him on his travels while fully aware of her past transgressions absolutely baffled her. "Ozzy, to say that I have met someone quite like you would be a blatant lie. You truly are an odd individual." She turned, making her way back to the mattress. Ozzy used two fingers to give a half-hearted salute. "Anytime, man. I aim to confuse."

Chrysalis lie there, her mind racing on the events of the day. How she went from a starving, depressed wreck to a nourished, dare she say jovial queen astounded her. As she began to drift off to sleep, she whispered in a voice that only she could hear.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance."

You really think that this is a good idea?

I like her. Besides, if she's as powerful as she claims she is, she'll pack a helluva punch in a firefight.

You heard her, though. She's a branded war criminal. What do you think that's going to say about us?

Since when have you started caring about what people thought of us?

Very true.

You're right, though. If I want to give these ponies the ole' razzle-dazzle, then I'm going to have to paint myself as the good guy, and that will be a greater challenge with her by my side.

... Razzle-dazzle?

Ah, fuck you.