Wasted Days: A Fallout Equestria Tale

My trip to the clinic had left me a bit on the tired side, but I needed to do SOMETHING to show that I wasn't going to simply sponge off of the ponies here. I needed to find some sort of work. But what could a pony who was just literally waking up in the Wasteland for the first time be able to do?  I found myself wandering into Shot Trotters after getting a swift hoof to the rear from many of the ponies in the town. Inexperience was something nopony wanted.

What caught my eye first as I entered the building was all the guns hanging on the walls. Taking a brief glance at many of them I already understood how half of them worked. The other half looked as if they were simply in a state of disrepair. The second thing that caught my eyes was the guard in front of me clearly in a "Don't Fucking Touch The Guns" mood. The weaponry holstered in multiple slots and armor made from a mish mash of different items. But it none the less looked like armor that could stop bullets.

My staring was only interrupted when the shopkeeper broke the silence, "Are ya here to gaze or ya here to shop? Cause iffen aren't then ya best be gettin' out of mah store." I couldn't quite place the accent but it was certainly different from the other ponies I had met. Then again, I couldn't exactly call this pony a pony. My stomach churned as I took in his ghastly features. He looked...melted?

He frowned as he realized what I was doing, "Oh good God..." he muttered as he shook his head, "Yeah, I'mma ghoul! Ooooooooooh scawy! Now can ya please quit yer starin' it's damn rude." he said flicking his ear in annoyance.

I physically slapped myself in the face as I shook myself out of the stunned state I was. "Actually...I'm kind of searching for any kind of job really."

He replied with laughter, "Son, I dun know if ya are just plain ol' stupid or blind but does it look like I can just give ya a job. 'Specially when ya look greener than grass." My ears folded back in both embarrassment but also annoyance.

"I'm not looking for a handout, sir. And I want to learn." I said confidently taking several steps towards him. I could've sworn I heard the guard reaching for his weapon.

The guard stepped up behind me and drew a sidearm and aimed it at me with magic, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." the guard said sternly. I frowned and looked at the shopkeeper who had turned around and had started walking towards the back. This was my last chance, I couldn't blow it now! Otherwise, I'd be screwed permanently!

"Please! Just give me a chance to prove myself. I'll do ANYTHING! Somepony has to start somewhere right?" I asked, no pleaded with the shopkeeper. He paused where he stood and sighed.

"Look son, I said I ain't givin' hand outs." he said firmly, "Don't ya have somewheres to be?"

I frowned, "I can't remember if I do or don't." I muttered quietly, barely audible for the shopkeeper to hear. But the guard must have heard me as I heard hooves move back two paces. Was the guard curious or shocked? I didn't eve know how to describe the movements.

The shopkeeper looked at me once again and then at the guard, "Bluegrass, would ya please get him gone? I have a shop to run." I looked at the guard and gave the best pleading set of eyes I could manage. Yeah, like that would work. I had to be putting on the most pathetic look on my face ever.

"Come on, don't make this more difficult on yourself." Bluegrass said to me stepping around me, making sure the shopkeeper couldn't me. What Bluegrass did next surprised me. In a whisper I was able to make out the words, "Meet me out back in five minutes, I want to talk to you alone."

What the sweet Celestia's bosom was going on? This total stranger, one who looked like they could kill me and have me for breakfast wanted to speak to me alone? Could it be a trap? What did this pony want? Did the pony just want to kill me for sport?

"Alright..." I replied slowly. Dammit Thunder! How stupid could you get? You only just met this pony! And now you're meeting in private out behind the gun store? This is how I die...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo0000000000000000000oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I waited the five minutes and sure enough the guard pony who wanted to speak to me came around the corner. I gulped and took a tentative step backward. This is how I die...

"You know kid, you're seriously asking for somepony to kill you." Bluegrass said to me.

"I don't exactly know how to treat anypony...I don't remember." I said once again quietly damning the amnesia.

Bluegrass approached me and using magic removed the helmet that was covering many features. Features that now revealed that Bluegrass was in fact a mare. I could've sworn my jaw had hit the dirt. Her mane was a bright blue base with multiple thick lines of green running through it. Her eyes were the most sparkling of cyan. And her coat was a stunning white that could only be comparable to Celestia's herself.

"It's also pretty damn rude to stare at somepony like you are." she said squinting her eyes at me. Oh Goddesses how long had I been staring without a reply.

I quickly shook my head, "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I said panicking and backing up too quickly for my own good. "Oh shit!" Was all I could manage as I tripped over multiple rocks and landed hard on my hind quarters in a pile of green gooey water that had managed to avoid direct sunlight.

Bluegrass stopped dead in her tracks and simply blinked for what felt like a lifetime. I felt so foolish as to now have my orange coat now stained with this green nasty stuff. It just felt WRONG for it to be covering my hind quarters as it did. I felt so unsanitary.

Laughter...I blinked hearing laughter. Bluegrass was on her back literally kicking her legs as she laughed at me. "Oh Goddesses no! Please! It's too much!" she cried out as I had stupidly tried to shake the goop from my rear. I must have looked so stupid as I literally had begun wiping my rear with my hoof and flinging the stuff to the ground.

I was thoroughly pissed at this point. I literally had just made an ass out of myself and we hadn't even been properly introduced. "Oh yeah, ha ha, laugh at the amnesiac who has green shit all over his ass, so funny." I said with annoyance clearly covering my voice as I flung yet another hoofful of gunk to the ground. It wasn't until I realized what I had just said before I let out a small chuckle of my own. Yeah, that last line was a bit stupid now that I think about it.

Bluegrass's laughter had slowed to a small giggle as she pushed to her feet. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to laugh that hard! You just looked so silly and what you were doing...I just couldn't help it."

I frowned only for a moment but smiled a moment later, "Yeah...I bet I looked a bit stupid." I sighed and turned to face her, "I really am sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was just taken by surprise."

"Oh? Surprise? How were you taken by surprise?" she asked curiously as she approached me, her horn lighting up as she picked up her helmet and laid it on one of the old dumpsters nearby.

"Well for one, all the mares I've met in this town are either bubbly or oddly addicted to snack-cakes." I said moving away from the goo puddle and towards the dumpster. Maybe I'd get lucky and find a stupid rag or something to clean my hindquarters off a bit better.

Bluegrass looked at me confused but then realized I was speaking of one of the clinic ponies, "Oh, yeah well with what they do pretty much on a daily basis, I can't blame them for enjoying a snack-cake. They do tend to lift your spirits up when things seem pretty bleak." She then unholstered her sidearm and rifle and placed those too on the dumpster next to her helmet.

I lifted the other hatch of the dumpster with my own magic and poked my head inside the dumpster. My voice echoed inside of it as I asked, "So what'd you want to talk about? Nopony here seems to be willing to do much to help me learn how to survive out here." I must've sounded grumpy but it didn't phase Bluegrass much.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." she replied as she took a few clips and magazines out of her ammo pouches.

THUUUUUD!

I had let the hatch go in my surprised and it came slamming down on my neck. I shouted in shock and then quickly lifted the hatch and pushed off the side of the dumpster. "Say what now?" I asked her as I shook my head, clearing away the pain that was making it's way through my neck.

Bluegrass giggled as she turned to face me, "Well yeah...I know how a new start can be like. I didn't learn much from other ponies myself and just made my own way around. So if I can help I'd like to."

Something didn't feel right, "What do you get out of it?" I asked skeptically of her.

"Honestly, I don't get much other than the satisfaction of knowing I helped somepony survive for a little bit longer." she said magically lifting the sidearm off the dumpster and floating it towards me. Not aiming at me but offering it towards me this time. "So my little pony, do you want to learn how to survive in the Equestrian Wasteland? Or do you want to keep begging for the chance to have a dull job like the keeper in there?" she asked nodding her head towards Shot Trotters.

The hell did I have to lose? I clearly wasn't going anywhere with the job search. And I wouldn't last long on my own. I wrapped my own magic around the sidearm. It was heavier than I expected but I managed to hold it just fine. I looked at the sidearm and then back at Bluegrass.

"Where do we begin?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo0000000000000000000oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So you can't remember anything prior to yesterday morning?" Bluegrass asked quietly as we marched into the Wasteland. We simply couldn't just start shooting guns inside the town. The Town Guard would've been all over us in a matter of seconds. And they weren't the type to ask questions first.

I nodded as I looked out at the Wasteland in front of me. Endless desert for as far as I could see. There were a few mountains in the distance. And several buildings littered the horizon. The tallest of all the mountains though I thought I swear I could see buildings jutting out of the side. But that simply could've been my imagination.

Bluegrass shook her head, her mane flowing freely in the wind. I couldn't help but stare at her motions, they were oddly captivating. "I'm sorry Thunder. I can't imagine what it must be like."

"To be perfectly honest, it's more irritating than it is debilitating. I can still perform tasks. I'm not crippled, I'm just..." I couldn't really find a word accurate to my situation. How do you even sum up the idea that you lost your memory and are literally starting from scratch.

Bluegrass looked over at me and gave me a small smile, "It's okay. Let's not talk about it more." she said then looking forward and stopping. "Alright! Here we are!"

I snapped my head up and looked ahead of me. There was a small shack surrounded by a fence and inside the fence was a single large crate. Whatever this place used to be, it was literally surrounded by glass bottles. I blinked in confusion. Why the hell did Bluegrass bring me here?

"Okay so before you get your hopes up too high, no there aren't any caps lying around here. They were picked clean a LONG time ago." she said kicking a couple of the bottles with her forehoof. "So are you ready to learn how to shoot? And I don't mean fire and hope for the best, but actually hitting a target?"

I watched as she began magically moving bottles on top of the large crate. Seven bottles sat neatly in a row, perfect targets for me to practice on. I lifted the sidearm out of my clothes. I looked at it. I looked at her. Then back at it.

"Sure...but explain to me how this thing works again?"

I definitely just heard a groan and a hoof making contact with face.

I sighed, "I just want to make sure I got it all okay?"

"Then just show me what I taught you and I'll correct you if you're wrong okay?" she suggested waving a hoof in my direction.

I looked at the sidearm, simple enough. "So first I eject the magazine." I used my magic to manipulate the sidearm and hit the clip release. And sure enough the magazine I had loaded earlier came sliding out. I caught the half full magazine with my magic and held it stationary.

Bluegrass nodded as I continued, "Then I pull the slide back, making sure that the chamber is clear of ammo." I pulled the slide with my magic and out popped a small bullet. Once again I caught the bullet with my magic but this time instead of letting it hover I slid it into the magazine.

"Next I replace the old magazine with the new one." Despite having only three to work with I slid the old one back into place. "Then I release the slide and that puts a new round in the chamber." I hit the release and a resounding CLICK filled the air as it snapped forward. "And if I want to use it, I need to disengage...what'd you call it?" I asked forgetting the name of what I needed to manipulate.

Bluegrass smiled, "You almost had it one hundred percent. And it's called the 'safety' it's there to make sure the weapon won't go off when you aren't using it. Goddesses forbid it goes off and puts a hole through your flank." I looked around at the weapon before realizing where the safety was.

I had already left it locked and looked at Bluegrass who nodded, "You can take the safety off now. But remember! Do NOT point that thing at anypony unless you plan to use it. It's NOT a toy. If you're not going to use it, keep it tucked away."

"Got it." I said nodding multiple times at her as I looked at the bottles. "Soooooooo...should I try shooting the bottles then?" I asked not sure what was next.

"Oh! Yes please try to hit at least three of them on your own." she said waving a hoof at the bottles. "But don't get spooked, it's going to be loud, but that's normal. Don't be afraid of the gun you're holding, be afraid of the one you aren't."

What kind of logic was that? Should I fear all guns then except for the ones I own? That's gotta be some silly joke right? I nearly jumped out of my coat when  I pulled the trigger with my magic. I had totally missed the target. But that didn't bother me as much as the ringing in my ears. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

"You were a little high with that shot. Try aiming a little lower." Bluegrass suggested as she watched my shots. "Also try letting out a breath when you fire, it'll make your shot a bit more accurate." she added as she lowered herself onto her haunches.

I looked at the bottles and took several breaths before slowly squeezing the trigger again, making sure to exhale as I did. CRASH! The bullet struck home and a glass bottle shattered into several pieces of varied size and shape. I blinked and looked at the sidearm.

"Did I just do that?" I asked dumbfounded in my second shot hitting the target.

"Don't let it go to your head Thunder, try hitting another." she said not really impressed with my shot. Thanks for the vote of confidence Bluegrass, totally helping!

I took aim and fired once again. THUD. The bullet firmly lodged itself into the wall of the shack. I squinted at the shack, bottles, sidearm and then at the bottles again. I WILL destroy you bottles if it's the last thing I do! I squeezed the trigger again. CRASH! Another bottle exploded. CRASH! Another! CRASH! And yet another!

I pulled the trigger once again and the weapon gave a rejecting CLICK. Out of ammo. I groaned as I looked at the sidearm. Following Bluegrass's instructions I reloaded the weapon, making sure to dump the empty magazine into one of my pouches. I took aim once again. CRASH CRASH CRASH! I made short work of the remaining bottles.

I turned to look at Bluegrass who simply sat there with her jaw on the ground. "Well I'll be...nice work Thunder. I haven't seen anypony learn to shoot so fast. Not to mention accurately, at least without the assistance of a Pip-Buck." she said pushing off the ground and trotting over towards me. "Put it away for now. We should probably start on-"

BOOM BOOM BOOM! I jumped out of my coat I swear! From simply out of nowhere loud gun blasts filled the air. Peppering the wall in front of Bluegrass. I turned on my hooves and went wide eyed. Several more ponies, covered in a wide variety of colors marched towards us.

"Drop the guns and nopony gets hurt!" the tallest of the ponies said angrily. A shotgun floating next to him as he walked towards us. The four flanking ponies carried guns too. Though only one other carried the gun with magic, the others had theirs stuffed into their mouths. I grunted as I took a step backwards, only to be met with another blast from the shotgun.

"I fucking said don't move damn it! Don't you damn ponies listen?!" he said getting even more mad. His companions grinning toothily...for some the lack there of. I wasn't sure what to do.

But Bluegrass? She knew exactly what to do. "Thunder get down!" she shouted at the top of her lungs! Her assault rifle coming free of it's holster.

The approaching ponies just smirked. "This one has some spunk! Let's try not to kill such a pretty thing! I want to have some fun later!" He said grinning even wider as he looked Bluegrass over. Bluegrass didn't even wait for an invitation, she pulled the trigger with her magic. Sending a torrent of bullets speeding towards the group. And in kind they fired right back! Reacting in the only way I figured possible I dove muzzle first behind the crate I was previously shooting bottles off of. I covered my ears as the sounds of guns filled the air!

This is how I die!

Footnote: Quest Completed! Learning the Ropes!

Level Up! Level 2!

New Trait! Trigger Discipline: While using Guns and Energy Weapons, you fire 20% more slowly, but are 20% more accurate!