Return I: A Violent Homecoming
Its unbelievable what all those three have been through, Twilight thought with a sigh, writing down a bit of information on the planet Earth. The word that, from what the Crusaders told her, was a hostile wasteland destroyed by weapons of mass destruction. And the three had been kept alive by a human named General Lee, someone she wanted to meet and thank for taking care of the three girls. But, she had no way of meeting said human, maybe someday she would actually meet him. Perhaps a spell? I'm sure the girls would love to see him again, it has been a year since they last saw him.
The crusaders story was quite a... violent and sad one, one she hadn't expected to hear in her lifetime. But, she had to listen, along with the others. Looking out of her window, she noted the Crusaders were outside, all three talking to each other and laughing. Despite all the three had been through, and had endured in their young lives, they still laughed and had fun.
As the way it should be, She thought with a smile, closing her book and standing up. Now let's see, what to do now? Twilight wondered, looking around her small workroom. Parchments, quills and other items lay strewn about. Normally she was cleaned and organized, but she had this room stay this way, organized chaos she called it. I think I picked that up from Rarity. She giggled, trotting over to her balcony and gazing over Ponyville.
Much has changed since the Crusaders came back, while their lives were changed and they, as ponies changed, they were still the Crusaders at heart. They had training, training from a human war general and could kill practically anything with teamwork, she had seen that first hand when a creature they called a Deathclaw Alpha somehow got transported into Equestria, reeking havoc within the Everfree and heading toward Ponyville. Fluttershy tried to calm it down with her Stare, but the beast was blind and enraged.
The crusaders saved the day however, proving to be an effective team and taking down the massive black scaled beast before it could harm anyone else. She'll never forget how quickly and ruthlessly they had taken it down, and how lighthearted their comments on it were before they talked about carving it up. That was the last straw for Fluttershy and she had fled in tears, leaving three oblivious Crusaders to talk about carving up Deathclaw meat. Their last comment to the remaining five elements before they walked away.
"Its good eatin'."
Twilight shuddered, even thinking about eating meat disgusted her. How those three did it without getting sick, she'll never know. Looking at the three, she noted Scootaloo's cybernetic wings, her older underdeveloped ones having been blown off by a C4 blast, resulting in her almost bleeding to death. Scootaloo had become something of an outcast in Ponyville after she dealt with her abusive father, causing severe property damage and hospitalizing her father. Her mother, Summer Breeze, had turned out to be the more innocent of the two parents, with her husband in the hospital, she was free to tell everypony everything about what he did. She was still looking into sending her husband, Malt Liquor, to jail after he gets out of of the hospital.
She also saw Apple Bloom and her frame, she was a bit more built than the other two for someone her age, her having augmented herself with strength implants that increased her strength to that of Big Mac it seemed and her endurance tenfold. The mare was built like a tank, but looked very good. Her body, while toned muscle gave her a strong attractive look that got her more then a few looks when she wandered through Ponyville.
And Sweetie Belle, she was probably the most changed out of the three. Her body was still perfect as always, giving her a look that even Rarity envied. From what Twilight - amongst the others as well - struggled to listen to. Sweetie Belle had actually been brutally attacked by several deathclaws, Raiders, and was eventually killed by a human man called Havoc. From what Apple Bloom told Twilight, Sweetie had been brought to a doctor, a crazy insane doctor General Lee had met some time ago and resurrected and given a new body. A cybernetic one, at the cost of her real one which was too badly damaged, hence why she looks so perfect. A combination of her cybernetics and natural good looks.
Twilight wasn't sure what to make of it, it all sounded so surreal to her. But then again, the Deathclaw Alpha had seemed so unreal, and yet it was now in the Crusaders' new home, sitting in a freezer in chopped up pieces for later consumption. Twilight shook her head, trying to dispell the thoughts of eating meat.
It's just so disgusting... its not normal. She told herself, turning back to her room, she was about to go about reorganizing her books when her ears picked up something in the distance. A loud roar. What was that? She turned around, galloping back to the balcony just in time to see the Crusaders looking towards the Everfree Forest, along with everyone else. The roar sounded again, this time followed by a distinct sound no pony could possibly recreate unless they were the Crusaders...
Gunfire.
Twilight watched as all three of the CMC bolted through the streets, Scootaloo taking flight and soaring through the skies towards their house in the distance. Twilight knew what they were going there for, and concentrated her magic before teleporting. She found herself popping into existence inside of Rainbow's house, where the mare was currently lounging on the couch.
"Oh, hey Twilight." Rainbow greeted, "wha-"
"No time to explain, there's something going on and I need your help rounding up the other girls." Twilight cut her off and teleported again, leaving Rainbow to shrug and dash off through her window to gather the Elements.
Twilight had yet again popped up, but this time she was outside the crusader's homestead. It was a large two story home with a large basement and reinforced doors, it was a strange request they put it, but the Princess approved it and here it was. It was a nice little home, a bit of a ways off from the town but they didn't seem to mind, in fact it seemed as if they wanted it that way. Twilight trotted inside and came upon the sight of Scootaloo putting on her armor, but it looked a bit different. It was cleaner and had different style armor on it, the same held true with Sweetie when she came from upstairs, and eventually Apple Bloom. All three had their weapons ready and primed.
"Are you girls going out there?" Twilight asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"We have ta," Apple Bloom nodded, tightening a strap on her laser rifle. "No one else uses guns, so it might be Lee out there for all we know."
"Or raiders," Scootaloo said, checking her sniper's scope with a huff. "or cannibals, or those Reaper dudes."
The other two girls shuddered at the memory of the Reapers.
"Anyway, we have to go check it out, no one else can handle firearms like we can." Sweetie chirped, her magic levitating several of her knives from holster to holster in fluid motions that was almost dizzying to see. "Friend or foe, we're going out there." She nodded to her friends, who nodded and started towards the door, moving past Twilight and outside where they found the elements waiting.
"Well, you're not goin' alone, ya hear?" Applejack smiled, putting one hoof in front of the other in her trademark stance.
Rarity nodded with a dainty smile. "Indeed," She cast a look at Sweetie Belle. "I know you three can handle yourselves, but like you said before, safety in numbers and all."
Bloom sighed heavily, nodding slowly. "Alright, ya'll can come with, but!" She held up a hoof, "if we tell ya ta run, ya run." She told them firmly, getting a giggle from Pinkie Pie.
"When did you become our parents?" She asked, getting a few smiles from everyone.
"Alright ponies, enough standing around!" Scootaloo cried, pulling out her sniper rifle and chambering a round. "Let's roll out!" Scootaloo flared her blackened wings, taking flight as Rainbow followed her with a smirk. The dangers of adventure and the unknown fueling her.
The other ponies soon started forward towards the gunshots, galloping full speed into what could possibly be something extremely dangerous... but then again, isn't it always some kind of danger?
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A few minutes passed and everyone was outside where the roars were heard. More gunshots sounded, automatic gunfire and more roars, along with a small explosion which shook the ground. The elements seemed disturbed by this, while the Crusaders merely listened in, as if curious. Scootaloo had perched herself on a cloud above, giving her the perfect vantage point to snipe from, Apple Bloom had her rifle out and was taking cover behind a tree, standing on her hind legs like she did sometimes as Sweetie had several daggers and knives floating near her head, all the sharpened points pointing forward as she stared calmly into the brush, waiting like a hunter would wait for prey to make itself known.
The Elements had taken cover by some trees, seeing how they had no weapons they were forced to wait behind the CMC, and provide backup is necessary. Twilight watched as the trees shook from whatever was inside, roars and the sounds of wing flaps made her think of a dragon, and she wondered if there was a dragon in the woods that someone was firing at. But that wouldn't make any sense, no dragon would be out here, and no one had any firearms except for the CMC... but then again...
The sounds around them suddenly quieted down... silence all around save for their breathing.Twilight felt her heart pounding in her chest, her horn lighting up as she prepared a shield spell should they need it. Then another roar sounded, this one louder and then suddenly, it emerged from the trees, smashing through the bark and sending Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle scurrying away before landing on the road in front of them.
Da Monsta
It was a sickening looking monster, Twilight could only describe it as having a knobbly sort of spine, a short tail and three pairs of limbs. Two prehensile arms that slammed into the ground, two legs with long claws and two large leathery wings. It also had a long head with a blunt snout, consisting of a bat-like nose that flared as it smelled them out, eyes with vertical cat-like slit pupils set far apart on the head that locked on her own eyes, and a large mouth with sharp teeth. Its wings were huge, and flapped a few times as everyone gawked at the sight of it.
"Holy buck!" Rainbow muttered, as Scootaloo racked the bolt on her rifle, chambering a fresh round as Rainbow watched her.
"Fucker'll die... just like the rest." Scootaloo told Rainbow, who nodded, but still seemed a bit put off for Scoots' choice of words. SHe said nothing however, as Apple Bloom gave the girls the signal to attack it...
Only for Fluttershy to step in, stopping everyone as the beast turned to glare at her. Apple Bloom gave her a harse glare, yelling, "Fluttershy, get movin'!"
Fluttershy however, stood her ground against the beast, once more using her stare against an unknown beast. The scars from the Deathclaw were still fresh in her mind, and she wanted to save this one if she could, and so she put as much of her willpower into her stare as possible. "Now you listen here mister! You are not being very nice, stop being such a meanie and calm down!" She ordered it, making the beast growl lowly, as if submitted, its eyes narrowed at her.
Then it attacked, grabbing Fluttershy and picking her up... and it wasn't for a hug.
"Goddamn it!" Apple Bloom cursed, aiming her laser rifle and firing several beams, some of them hit while the others went wild, only grazing the beast. But it did make it roar, and she saw the blistering wounds, so she could see her weapon was doing some damage. Sweetie had come up from behind, throwing several sharpened knives into the thing's back making it yell, swiping its massive claws at her, Sweetie dodged as a loud boom sounded and Scootaloo's AP rounds took off one of its armds, the one holding Fluttershy.
Once the mare hit the ground, Twilight teleported over to her, before grabbing her and teleporting to a safe enough distance. Rainbow had to cover her ears as Scootaloo tried to kill the thing, Apple Bloom and Sweetie once again using a team effort to fight, throwing knives, firing heavy duty AP rifle rounds or shooting laser blasts. Their weapons proved to be very effective against the winged creature, as it swiped and tried to fight back, only to sustain too many wounds and eventually fall to the ground, giving off a pitiful whine in response.
As it fell to the ground, the beast tried to get up again, only it struggled and could do very little, as it started to bleed out of its wounds.
The CMC regrouped near it, Sweetie walking forward as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo aimed their guns at the beast, no remore in their gazes, no regret, no sorrow for the life they were about to take just like last time. The Elements just watched, unable to tear their gazes from the three, it was like watching the Deathclaw all over again. Fluttershy just held onto Twilight, tears in her eyes as she saw Sweetie standing next to the beast, looking at the winged beast with a sideways look, in her magic was the sword she had used to skewer the Deathclaw in such a brutal way.
The butter yellow pegasus had seen it happen and time seemed to slow when she witnessed, one of the sweetest fillies' she's ever know, brutally slaughter a creature, just because she could not tame it. It made her sick to her stomach how ruthless the three had become, and hearing them talk about cutting it up and storing the meat for later consumption... was the last straw for her. And so she fled in tears, hiding within her cottage, unable to bear seeing three ponies she thought she knew feast on another living creature as if it were a natural thing.
And now it seemed they were going to do it again.
Sweetie raised her sword high, the massive blade looking quite heavy to use even for a unicorn, but she lifted it with no problem. Scootaloo and Bloom stepped back... as the youngest of the three brought the blade down in one swift movement, taking off its head, a gyaser of blood shot out from its neck and the many severed arteries as its head rolled onto the ground. They stepped back a little further as the body slumped to the ground, blood quickly pooling around it.
Behind them, the Elements just stared, once more witness to a brutal murder of another creature. While it was not unheard of for some ponies to kill a creature for being too rowdy, or even being troublesome to the point where it killed. Seeing such brutallity from the three, gave them all chills, of just how efficiently they took it out. Fluttershy looked ready to throw up, while the others just looked on, distiurbed as Sweeite poked it with one of her swords.
"Never seen this thing before... what even is it?" Sweetie questioned, inspecting the creature head to tail. She had never seen anything like it in her travels across the wasteland, having been from one side to the other like her friends had, when they had split up their second year in the world. She had seen Deathclaws, ferel ghouls, strange robots, and other manner of beast... but this was not one she recognized. "Looks like a Deathclaw with wings... almost."
"Ah don't know Sweets, looks dead ta me." Bloom remarked, shouldering her rifle as she continued to stand on her hind legs. She had perfect balance, as if she had been standing that way her entire life. Scootaloo just sat nearby, rifle leaning against her chest, as she looked at the forest.
"Who was firing though?" Scootaloo questioned, ears flicking towards the Everfree forest as she heard a familiar sound.
Someone was reloading.
"Shit, contact in the trees!" Scootaloo cried, bolting up onto her hind legs, picking up her gun and about to fire, if someone hadn't shot at her, nicking her in the arm and throwing her aim off. She had pulled the trigger with her cybernetic wing, blasting off a chunk of the tree and falling to the ground with a cry. She clutched her bleeding arm as Rainbow ran over, the other elements scattering as Twilight tried to throw up a shield, only to end up getting a rock thrown at her head, which threw off her spell.
Once Rainbow had made her way over, she ended up getting hit by something that made her fall next to Scootaloo with a yelp of pain. The orange pegasus saw a knife sticking out of Rainbow's leg, a shiny steel throwing knife with a blue handle. Scootaloo growled, wincing in pain as Rainbow managed to shield her from more knives being thrown at her, most of them grazing Rainbow's wing or hitting her side, just barely. Rainbow grunted, nearly crying out in pain from each hit as Apple Bloom tried ot get a bead on the attackers, only to end up almost getting shot with a bullet as the attackers made themselves know at last.
And to their shock... they were ponies... they thought, considering what they were wearing it was hard to tell...
The oldest looking mare - Apple Bloom was able to tell because of the eyelashes in the eyeglass and some slight wrinkles - was probably the most strange looking, to Apple Bloom, her look reminded her of the NCR Ranger she had met during their travels throughout The Mojave. The mare donned a trench coat that had been modified to fit her body snugly, but keep it loose enough so it wouldn't be too constraining. Her legs, both front and back were covered in a thick material, and her head was encased within an old looking gas mask. Her golden eye was the only thing visible, the right side of her mask was blacked out hiding her other eye, hidden by shadows. In her hooves she held a rifle that resembled a Chinese Assault Rifle, but had a forest camouflage on it, and a small scope on top. She had it aimed at Bloom, standing on her hind legs much like Apple Bloom was.
The other pony held Sweetie at knifepoint, the latter doing the same. Both unicorns held several knives in their magical grasps, wheres Sweetie's ranged from cleavers to combat knives and others, the other mare's were smaller, had blue handles and were made entirely of steel. The mare wore something similar to the older mare, her head covered up in a mask with a small hole in the top to allow her horn to come out, her mask had goggles for lenses instead of the plastic mask the oldest mare's mask had. On her back was a rifle, a long one that Apple Bloom knew not the name of. Whatever it was, had a small clip on the side and it was bolt action with a large scope on top.
The final pony, AB had no idea if it was male or female. The pony stood a bit shorter than the other two, suggesting being of a younger age. Probably a bit younger then Sweetie Belle at most. The pony wore a trench coat as well, their body covered in thick material like cloth and rubber, and their mask was fully enclosed around their head, two small slanted slits were cut into the front and two filters on the sides of the mask. This pony too was a unicorn, holding two long barreled 44 magnum revolvers in their magic, which were pointed at an injured Scootaloo who was being held up by Rainbow, who was likewise injured.
The group was at a stand still, Bloom, being the leader had to quickly decide how this went down. Who are they? They got guns like we do, cept they're different... and they're wearing modified hazmat gear, bit strange looking but... She had seen many different types of hazmat equipment floating around, but this seemed to be a bit different then any she had seen in the wasteland, more body concealing and contained as opposed to the bright yellow suits she was used to seeing.
The older of the three newcomers, lowered her firearm slowly, before she spoke, her mask muffling her voice to a degree. "Apple Bloom?" She asked, her voice aged, strained almost.
Bloom rose an eyebrow, lowering her own gun slowly as she eyed the pony. "Ah know you?" Bloom questioned, as Scootaloo managed a sitting position, Rainbow plucking out the knives and whimpering slightly with each one she yanked out. Twilight had shaken her head, looking injured from the slight welt on her head, but otherwise alright.
"Maybe... used to deliver your mail." She said, making Bloom raise an eyebrow as the mare reached up to pull off her mask. Everypony, save for the crusaders, gasped when they realized who it was.
The mare hadn't changed much aside from her new outfit, and the scarring on her body and dull shade of her coat. The golden eye peered out at the group, a half smile on her face as she sat down, leaning her rifle against her chest as her bangs covered her other eye.
It was Derpy Hooves.
"Derpy... y-you're alive!" Twilight cried, almost happily as she and the others galloped over, - sans an injured Rainbow Dash who still wincing in pain, - looking relieved that she was alive. The mare looked to not have aged a bit, despite being gone for seven years she looked alright. The ponies turned to the other two ponies, who had lowered their weapons and revealed their own faces. Both showing themselves to be none other then Derpy's daughters, Dinky and Sparkler, who have changed, becoming taller and somewhat... tired and hungry looking. They all were squinting however, as if the light from the sun was hurting their eyes.
"Where in tarnation have you girls been?" Applejack asked as Sweetie stuck her sword in the ground, before going over to aid Scoots and Dash. The latter in much greater pain then her smaller counterpart.
Derpy frowned a bit, before her smile returned. "We'll tell you, after we get some food maybe... we've gone a bit without eating any actual food." The mare explained, as Dinky went over to Dash and retreived her knives, and offering Dash an aplogy who accepted it with a wave of her hoof and a half pain filled smile.
"No problem at all, let's all go back to the castle, eh?" Twilight offered, as her eyes took in the weapons the three had. Similar to the CMC's yet... more desolate looking and not as clean, or well maintained. They looked shoddy, broken, held together with junk parts, not like the clean well take ncare of weapons belonging to the CMC. Dinky's knives however, were shiny, clean, save for the ones she tossed at Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.
She had a funny feeling... these three's story was going to be a roller coaster of emotion, and despair. She could see the same look in their eyes, that look of lost hope, becoming someone else to survive in a harsh land of unforgiveness and death... the look of a survivor, a warrior bathed in blood and tempered with steel.
They've seen death, they've lived death, they have dealt with death...
It was becoming a sad cycle that Twilight wished the ponies did not have to go through, but it was how life worked... even in the twisted world of the Wasteland.
After helping Rainbow out with a tiny healing spell, Twilight teleported the group away and to the castle.
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After returning to the castle of Friendship, Derpy, along with her two daughters were given some much needed food and water, something they took great pleasure in eating, noiseily I might add. They tore into the food like hungry lions, even though it was mostly hay fries, water, hay burgers and other foodstuffs they craved, including a batch of muffins thst Derpy ate with tears of pure joy flooding from her eyes.
Their weapons, at the request of the CMC, were handed over so they could check them over and if need be, repair them with whatever supplies they had brought with them. Dinky, Derpy and Sparkler seemed to be wondering what had happened to the CMC, as well as where they had obtained their own weapons.
The CMC told them what happened, opting for the short and quick version so they wouldn't take as long, it took an hour of explaning, but Derpy and them understood well, almost too weel of exactly what the CMC had gone through.
Which raised this single question, that Bloom asked.
"Ah know we were gone for... bout six years, before we came back a year ago... but we didn't hear anythin' bout any other ponies wanderin' round." Bloom explained to them three mares in front of her, who listened carefully to what she was saying. "Ah listened to jus' about every radio broadcast in the wasteland, and Ah heard not a peep about no grey pegasus or two unicorns... so... where were you guys at?"
Derpy sighed as she put one of her muffins down, looking at it as if it were a precious little thing. She brushed aside her bangs, revealing something was over her other eye, black as night. "The place you told us about... The Texas Commonwealth, the US... we were not in that part of the world... in fact..."
"I don't think we were even on that world." Dinky spoke up, sitting next to Sparkler, masks hanging off of their suits on little loops. "It was earth, but it wasn't in the 2200's, it was 2026... at first, and we were in Moscow." She spoke, the very name making her shiver ever so slightly.
"Moscow?" Bloom rubbed her chin, looking up in thought. Ain't that in russia? She wondered, remembering the atlas she had found and all of the other countries and cities. "That's a long way from the US... and you're right about not being on the world we were on, cause nothing could have survived out that way... me and the girls know that for damn sure..."
"Wait... are you telling me there's... another world, like Lee's out there that was..." Twilight started, getting a stiff nod from Bloom.
"Eeyup... cause Ah doubt they're wearing all that heavy gear cause it looks pretty." Bloom said, as Derpy nodded her head in agreement, furrowing her brows.
"Radiation levels?" Sweetie questioned, looking up at the three.
"Too high to survive on the surface..." Derpy spoke softly, "Everyone on that world... what little of the people that could make before the bombs dropped... had gone down below to escape the fire and flames..."
"Where?" Twilight asked, popping her notebook into existence once again.
Derpy took a moment before speaking, leaning back in her chair as her good eye looked up. "A place... called... The Metro..."
