!!!WARNING!!!
This chapter is a WIP and hasn't been edited or worked on in almost two years. Take it as is, and if you want me to finish or progress this story, please yell at me somewhere so I know you want more.

Fallout Equestria: Aurora
By CaptainSparx
Chapter Ten: Friendship Foundation
“Something, something, Friendship.”

This was great. I was surrounded by ponies, without a cap to my name. The rangers had parted ways at the bridge that led to Friendship city, heading to the Bucklyn Crossing off in the distance. The remains of the bridge forming a cross against the sky as lightning flashed across the clouds. It was still raining. I was getting all sorts of warning messages on my EFS about problems with my body. Apparently it was saying I was suffering from radiation poisoning, three crippled legs and one wing was essentially gone from the display.

“So um, We’re gonna head to Arbu and see about settling down there.” Beetroot limped over after talking to the guards at the gate. “You’re welcome to come with us if you want to. We could always use the extra hoof.”

Glancing up I looked her in the face. She looked worried, or maybe that was the just the rain and her wet mane. It was hard to tell.

“I mean, if you really want to.” Beet stood up and started hobbling away as the rest of the ponies that were with her started away from the bridge to the city.

“I really don’t know. I have to get to Fillydelphia to save somepony. And save my stable.”

“Sounds honest enough. I wish you luck.” She offered a hoof which I gladly took and shook. Watching as the ponies milled around me and heading off down a side road. Once they were out of earshot I turned around. A single pegasus mare standing a little ways down the bridge looking at me as she looked down and sat in a puddle.

I started slowly walking towards her. Making sure I kept my cool and trying to ignore all the warnings flashing across my vision. The mare slowly sank to the ground before rolling on her side and avoiding looking at me.

“Please? Please don’t hurt me…. I… I just want to come with you….”

“And why should I let you?”

“I… I have no other place to go. And… and… please? Just let me stay with you?”

I took a step toward her and she flinched. I sniffed the air as I looked down at her. “Did you just piss yourself?”

She nodded as her ears drooped by her head.

“Come on. Let’s at least get you out of the rain.” I walked past her as she brought her head up out of the puddle. Standing up and walking after me, her head hanging low. “You’re a mess.”

“Sorry sir… I… I thought you were going to shoot me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I thought… it would be better than going back.”

“You really don’t know a thing about the wasteland do you?”

“No..”

“Fine.. you can travel with me. Just… don’t screw up.”

“Oh, Thank YOU!” Dusty perked up and nearly leaped for joy.

“Just, try and keep it casual.”

“Thank you Lieutenant, sir.”

“Please don’t call me that.” I could see the guards up at the gate looking at us as we approached.

“Then what should I call you?”

“Sparx is fine.”

“Can I call you Uncle?”

I was about to interject when the guards raised their weapons and stepped towards us.

“State your name and intent.”

I stopped and gestured to myself with a wing and then to Dusty. “I’m Sparx and this is Dusty. I’m looking to secure passage to Fillydelphia. I’m on a rescue mission.” I quickly added the last part as they lifted their weapons.

“You aren’t slavers?”

“Slavers? Hell no. I’m from a stable… uh… and this is my niece. We came from Ten Pony.”

“Oh, so you have caps then?”

“Uh…” I wasn’t sure what to say. I had lost all my caps when Static left.

“No caps, no entry.”

Dusty quickly sat down and pulled her case around, rifling through it. “Will this do?” She pulled out a bag and tossed it to the stallions.

One of them picked it up and weighed it in their hoof. “This’ll do nicely.” They turned to each other and smirked. “Make sure to check your weapons in at the security desk.”

“Sure… we’ll get right on that.” I walked past them, Dusty following close behind after she put her leather case back on her back. I walked up to the security desk and looked in to find the guard snoring. “Um… let’s see. Hello!”

The snoring pony woke with a start and fell out of the chair. Rising back up to the counter with a huff.

“We were told to turn in our weapons?”

“Oh yes.” The older stallion lifted up a pair of spectacles and placed them on their muzzle. “We don’t charge any fees to get into Friendship City. We just ask you leave your weapons here. You’ll get them back when you leave.”

Dusty looked over at me as the two guards who had conned us walked by. Gritting my teeth I turned and walked in front of them. Spitting at the ground at their hooves, making them stop in their tracks.

“I believe you should move feather head.” The larger, bulkier of the two said. Making a move to go past me.

“I don’t think so.” I moved to block him. “Not until you give us back what you took from us.”

“Took from you? You gotta be kidding. We didn’t take anything from you.”

“Oh really? Then you won’t mind if I take it back then.”

“Now hold on! Just stay back you puny little cloud monger.”

“Oh I’m dirty? Fight me you big mouth bitch.” I sneered through my teeth.

The older stallion slammed a hoof on the counter. “Brim, Wicker! What did I tell you two about taking caps from ponies.”

“We didn’t I swear!” The larger stallion tried to move past me again. I raised a hoof and he grabbed it and tossed it back, flipping me over and dumping my guns and bags in a puddle.

“Fucking asshole!” I screamed at him. Scrambling to my hooves and spreading my wings wide. I reared up as my cloak fell back to reveal my barding and scars. I screamed, a feral, animalist screech cutting through the air, causing Brim and Wicker to step back.

“Return what is ours!” I gave my decrepit wings a flap to retain my balance. The pair quickly nodded and tossed the small bit bag of caps over at my hooves before turning and rushing back to their guard posts. I hissed at them as they left, picking up the bag and then walked over to pick up my gear.

“Best keep an eye on that one. Wouldn’t want him going feral on you.” The old ponies said to Dusty.

“Feral?” She looked confused.

“Your friend over there. He’s a glowing one ain’t he?”

“A what?”

“You really don’t know do you?”

“I uh…” She stopped as I walked up, setting my guns on the counter and tossed the bit bag to the mare.

“Not a scratch.” I growled as I walked away. Dusty following closely behind as she waved back to the older pony as he took out a towel and started to dry and put the guns away.

*** *** ***

I spent the better half of the morning sitting on a barstool. Drinking one sparkle cola after the other. That was, until Dusty stopped giving me caps for them. With a shrug I finished the last of the drink and stood up. Dusty stood up with me and walked around. She had been getting a lot of nasty stares, but nopony had tried anything as soon as they noticed we were together. I’m guessing it was her uniform. We’d have to get it changed later. Possibly sooner than later, as two very large burly stallions sauntered in and stormed right over to us.

“You FUCKING ENCLAVE SCUM BAG!”

The closer of the two raised his hoof to strike Dusty. The mare shying away as I dashed and tackled the stallion to the ground.

“The fuck?! Kill it! Somepony kill it!!”

He screamed, his partner jumping on top as most ponies slowly moved away from us. Several shouts from outside as they tried to bring in the guards. It was over almost as soon as it started as soon as they arrived. They blasted all three of us with some whimpy riot control weapons. The two stallions cried out from the hits. The one lowest on our pile a bloody mess. I had most likely shattered his jaw and was in the process of ripping off his ear before we so rudely interrupted. The stallion on top of me got off and I spun around to plant a firm kick in his barrel. Knocking the air from his lungs and sending him tumbling. This elicited another spattering of shots as the guards tried to move in closer, keeping their distance. Satisfied I had sufficiently taught the stallions a lesson I glared at the guards. Letting out a hiss for some strange reason and then walked back over to Dusty.

“You okay Dusty? They didn’t hurt you?”

“No.. I’m fine… but… they… they shot you? You.. you didn’t even react…”

She sounded worried. She reached a wing out to wipe some blood off my face as the guards escorted the other two ponies out, one staying to keep an eye on me.

“I did feel it… but it’s nothing like what I’ve gone through. I’ll be fine. We need to find a boat.”

“But… you… how are we supposed to do that?”

I shrugged and grabbed our bags off the table and started walking.

“Beats me.”

Shouldn’t have drunk that much cola. I stopped as my stomach suddenly decided to take control. Ejecting its contents in a cola’y mess. Plenty of green goop and blood mixed in with it. Shit. That can’t be good. I heaved as stomach went for round two. Just adding to the mess I was making on the floor.

“Sparx! I.. uh… that doesn’t look good. You should see a doctor.”

“I am a doctor…”

I quickly got out before my stomach fought again. This time somepony was thoughtful enough to toss a bucket over. A bucket that was quickly filled as my empty stomach decided it wasn’t as empty as it felt. I stood shaking slightly, wiping my mouth with a hoof as Dusty held out a glass of water to me. I took it and quickly rinsed my mouth out and spat it out.

“Thanks.”

“You really need to see somepony. That can’t be normal.”

I chuckled slightly at her reaction to all the green and faintly glowing goop.

“Welcome to the new normal kid.”

*** *** ***

No caps, no boat. And there wasn't any pony looking for help so I could earn my way on board. Things were really looking south. And I mean literally. Sitting on the roof of one of the guard towers I could see across the bay to a slow moving mass of dark cloud. To anypony else it was just another storm. But to me… the clouds were moving against the wind. Something had to be going on. But I really didn't care, so long as they left me alone.

Dusty had swapped out her uniform for a thin coat that adequately hid her wings. Deciding, against my better judgement, to keep the hat. She was busy washing the blood and gunk out of my jacket in a puddle down below. Chatting nervously with the occasional passerby. They would look up at me sitting in the rain every so often and I could tell they were talking about me. Most of my feathers were gone. I had several large cuts and scrapes that oozed glowing green puss. But other than that I actually felt fine. In fact I felt more than fine. I could hear my rad counter ticking on my pipbuck, but it didn't worry me anymore. The rain felt, refreshing. Letting it soak into my fur. Washing me clean and taking all my pain and sorrows with it. The only thing that still stuck with me was our money situation.

That’s when I heard it. Or rather, Dusty heard it. I was too busy self loathing to snap out of it will she almost knocked me from my perch with a rock.

“Hey! Sparx! You alive up there?”

“I wha? Ow… yeah… I’m alive. What was that for?”

“I was trying to get your attention. You said we needed a boat right?”

“Yes… preferably one with a crew. Water isn’t really my strong suit.”

She just nodded and smirked up at me. Gah, I hated that expression. Mainly because I was so used to always seeing it in the mirror. She may be distant, but she was definitely related. I slowly stood up and stretched my decrepit wings. Hopping to the side and sliding on my hooves down the roof, only to jump off the end and land in a very poorly placed puddle. Seriously, how was this place not flooded already? This was getting to be some storm.

“You sure you don’t want to go see a doctor?”

“I’m sure Dusty. Now what what is this about a boat?”

She pranced about in place in front of me. “I found a boat! The captain ran into a little trouble and needs some muscle… I figured you’d be up for that… and well.. They’re heading close to Fillydelphia, Pranceton. There’s an old port there….”

“I know where Pranceton is. It’s a little further than Filly.”

“Yeah… well… they said that’s as close as they’d take us. They give Filly a wide berth due to the Pinkie Pie Balloons. Whatever that means.”

I nodded, not really paying attention. So we had a possible ride but still no caps. We’d need supplies, food, ammunition. In fact, this whole time I haven’t seen Dusty with a weapon at all.

“Um… Dusty? Can I ask you something?”

“Yep!”

“Do you have a weapon? I didn’t notice you turning one in.”

“Oh.. nope. No weapon.”

What! No weapon? What kind of madness is this! “What! But why not!?”

Dusty blushed and scuffed her hoof at the ground as the rain let up slightly over us.

“I uh… I’m…. I’m a pacifist… I’ve never even hurt another pony before.”

“I see… well that’s gonna have to change.”

“I but… I can’t.”

“I know what you said. I’m going to teach you at least how to defend yourself.”

“But…. I know how to do that.”

“So you know how to use…”

“Yes. I know how to use a gun.” She said, lowering her head. Rain running off her muzzle. “It’s part of training. But I never used one outside of that.”

“Okay… well you need to get this figured out real quick. I can’t have you just tagging along if you aren’t willing to pull your own weight.”

She nodded, turning back and passing me my soaked, but otherwise clean jacket. I took it and tossed it over my back. Too wet at this point to need it. We needed to go back and retrieve our weapons. Take stock of what we have… and I really needed to meet this boat captain.

*** *** ***

Author's Note

Again... if you want to read more, please let me know.