Fallout Equestria Times of Talons

Fallout Equestria
Times of Talons: Chapter 5
Present

Hours go by; time spent walking, and passing old ruined buildings. Our path winded us across a river towards a town connected to another river, one a boat would take us to Baltimare, I had hoped. Days were dark and cloudy, nothing but an eternal mist growing in the distance either. I could smell rain in the air and the cloud cover was particularly heavy. We’d passed a ruin town a few hours ago, scrounged for whatever we could but had to leave as seemingly dozens of large ants infested the place. Our trek would be over in an hour, two tops. I had hoped this town would have another market, our ammo supply was starting to dip and I never liked that thought. I hadn’t used the hunting rifle since leaving Griffonstone and hadn’t used the SMG yet, and was slightly intimidated by the full auto kick. Tweety Bird had a total of twelve shots, leaving me rather worried.

Approaching the town a shot ran off in the distance, a larger rifle caliber. The fog kept us from seeing what it may be. Unknown what it could be we decide to investigate. The sight before us was a surprise, three griffons, engaged in battle. A single griffon perched on the ground as a sniper, the other two fly about, their prey, a small pack of feral ghouls, savagely attacking. The griffon on the ground I believed to have a Grover Anti-Material Rifle, one in the air had a lever-action rifle while the other had a large gun, one I’d only hoped never pointed towards me. It was shoulder mounted and resembled a pipeline, with the upper, half removed and a round, green shaped Hoofball object in it. The lever-action and Grover griffon fired several times into the hoard, the other hovering, and waiting. As the two on the ground reloaded the idol griffon fired. The weapon’s green ball projectile shrieked through the air in an arch, before smashing into the ground. The blast was massive, a towering smoke cloud climbed into the air, with a ring of fire casting onto the ground. The heat even affected me at this range.

The hoard was whipped out, the other two griffons picking off any remaining. The one with the launcher moved a handle, opening either side of the launcher and placing another green ball into it. The trio began rummaging through the bodies, searching for anything useful. I noticed some picking single rounds and caps. I’d seen the armor before, black combat armor with a white bird’s claw on it, Talons. My previous encounter with Talons had ended well, with me believing all Talons were like this. Leaving the cover and walking out towards the trio, what I got was a surprise.

“Talon, where’s your armor?” are griffons really that rare out here that anyone is mistaken for a Talon member? I hadn’t been able to buy or find any armor or my size, so I had no idea where they’re finding these griffon armors.

“Was too damaged, nothing but unnecessary weight. Dropped it about a half mile back.” I hope my speech is good enough to get me through this.

“What company are you from?” Shit. Think, think, I couldn’t remember the Talon Company Grizza mentioned, Graw, Gawr, oh.

“Gawd’s Talons” the look across their faces told me everything. I had jumped on the griffon to the left, raising the lever-action rifle towards me. The lead griffon was taken aback be the attack, Blood Heart had taken a shot on his right leg, downing him. The griffon wielding the large launcher stepped back, likely trying for a shot but unable due to his allies being in the way. The griffon I wrestled to the ground had fired of a round by mistake, without opening the receiver he wouldn’t be able to fire again. I had my hands around the rifle, pushing him to the ground. He had rolled me to the side, the stock hitting me in the side of the head. Rolling to the ground, I managed to get Tweety Bird out of its holster. While the other griffon was lining a shot I fired three round in quick succession, the first missing, the other two hitting in the chest. The griffon collapsed to the ground, the one wielding the launcher dropped it for a 10mm pistol. He fired, hitting me in the left side. I staggered, but Blood Heart shot at him, distracting him. Focusing my aim, I put a single round into his head, downing him instantly. The lead griffon was on the ground, bleeding out from his leg, the round had hit an artery.

“What’s with the sudden turn?” I questioned.

“You Gawd basturd, serving Red Eye’s the best choice I made, leaving you sappy chickens.” The buck was staggering; he wasn’t keeping his eyes open anymore.

“Why are you here?”

“Meeting a company.”

After Blood Heart treated my bullet wound, I began for the equipment of the Talons. The lever-action rifle was one I debated taking, but I didn’t have much in the way of ammo. The assault rifle was in poor condition was would be worth selling, but the launcher was what interested me most. The sticker across the side rode “Fat Horse” with the logo of an old griffon weapons manufacturer. While I was tempted to take the armor, I felt it would slow me down too much.

The fog ahead became denser until sight was rather limited, leaving us feeling quite vulnerable. The fog wasn’t anything I’d seen before. Living on a mountain, we’d gotten fog before, but this seemed, almost unnatural. Dead trees sprouted around us, but mixed in were living trees, not green trees of the old world, but sickly, disfigured trees grown in the irradiated land of now. The farther along we went, the cloud cover was far thicker, causing us to collide into trees on several incidents. The fog cover suddenly began to lift, leaving us to see further than any time before. What we saw was the distant light of a town; we had strain from the initial path, but meeting up with it we saw the trees almost curve to avoid the path, creating a natural bend to the town. A massive sign hung from above the pass, carved from a century old wood plank. The name “Farwood Bog” etched into the plank and showed its age.

While we had been to two rather friendly towns, I wasn’t feeling safe here. This town had a rather depressing feeling. The bog was built upon with docks and hobbled together shacks. The original town, if there was one, had clearly been expanded throughout the years. Trees sprung up throughout the town as well, some incorporated into buildings. The ponies of the town were something else. Each town had its citizens care for themselves in some way or another, keeping themselves somewhat clean, these ponies looked to have rolled in a pile of all the filth in Equestria and washed off in the irradiated, slimy, muddied water from the bog. The smell here was rancid, flies swarmed around every pony, yet the ponies seemed off. They all seemed angered, as if our presence angered them. We crossed by several shacks with barrel fires and small crowds around for warmth. Reaching a market in the edge of town, along the bog shoreline, the market had many firearms of all kinds strung across the walls and shelves. The pony at the counter was a stiff, crusty buck chewing on a straw of hey, his hat tilted to obscure his face. I saw another pony in the back of the shop; one dressed in metal armor and wielded an assault rifle. The bodyguard had a thick brow and a heavy beard with a stogie in his mouth. Walking to the counter he sat up from his rocking chair and put a hoof on the counter.

“Ammo, scrap, scopes, guns, what yha need?” the buck spoke with a deeper, raspy voice, sounding like he hadn’t drank any water in a while. The buck hadn’t lifted his eyes to look at me, yet I still felt like he was staring me down.

“.357 and .45 auto, box of each.” The buck turned to under his counter and fished out two ammo boxes, each with old, faded designs on them, long rubbed off. Placing about a dozen caps on the counter he brushes them into a container and simply leans back into his chair, chewing on his straw.

Leaving I needed directions, and a boat guide. I figured we could find a mayor, or at least something, but I hadn’t seen any building that a mayor could live in. we had turned a corner; the sound of Blood Heard screaming caught my attention. Turning around a largely built buck stepped between us; the larger buck had large scars across his body, and spoke in a hardened voice.

“I’ll give yha a good fortune for this one, she looks like a seller.” He looked to me, a stiff look in his face and a gaze I couldn’t ignore. “Name the price, I’d pay anything for her.” I looked to him, and stood up straight, despite him being large for a pony, the height of a griffon still stood tall over him.

“Get lost.” I think he may have put up a fight, but I began to spread my wings and my hand gripped the handle of Tweety Bird. Before anything could happen a shout caught us all off guard, looking over a group of other griffons walked to us, each clad in the same black combat armor with a white bird claw in the left breastplate as the Talons before.

“Scum, get to your hole, leave the tourists alone.” The buck looked rather pissed, but I think even he knew he couldn’t win against several armed griffons. The lead griffon was a mix of a mountain lion and a hawk, giving his bird half a more reddish color. Looking over to us, the lead griffon addressed us. “Scum like that’ll get to you, you ought to…wait, you’re that griffon, from Woodworks.” Looking to Blood Heart and to the griffon, she spoke.

“You know him?”

“A griffon at woodworks, Grizza, told of this lone griffon seeking revenge for a killer. You’re that griffon, match the description.” I was surprised; I hadn’t expected others to actually ever recognize me. “I’m Ural, at your service.” He did a waving gesture and bowed his head. “I’ll keep the locals away, rest of you, scram. Now, what you here for?”

“Who’s company are you?” I didn’t understand these Talons

“Gruff’s Talon Company, Baltimare City, why?”

“We need to get to Baltimare, boat, anypony who’s willing to take us there.” Ural smiled and gestured us to fallow him. Ural had an impressive weapon, a large, heavy caliber machinegun wielded on either side of his battle saddle.

“Like em, their DSK-50’s, heavy caliber anti-air machineguns.” He had a certain smugness to him, he seemed rather proud of his position. “We’re rather well equipped her, none of the sorry sacks here could ever hope to own anything like these.” I spoke up, asking a question I had since arriving.

“Who’s in charge here?”

“Interesting question, none here, the freeloaders here are owned by a separate entity, a rather large raider group in Baltimare. The Jackals, as their called, killed the initial mayor and took ownership of the town, they hired us to police over the town, keep the scum from killin’ each other.”

“You do dealings with raiders.” I heard of the Jackals before, back in Woodworks, but the Talons doing deals with a raider group, I wasn’t sure.”

“I don’t particularly enjoy it, but orders are orders. Supposedly the Jackals aren’t as bad as other raider groups, they do trade with surrounding factions and even cities.”

“Wait, these raiders dealing in trade and building alliances rather than killing everyone?” Blood Heart spoke up, asking the question I was readying to.

“Their leader, don’t know his name or anything but he supposedly is there controlling the groups and actively trying to control them. Stories say the leader is this big, metal pony, others say an immortal god while others say a mutated dragon.” This guy was in the city I needed to get too as well. Fun times for me.

The ship before us was a surprise, one of old world manufacturing, but fully restored. The upper deck was flat with seating along the sides. The supper structure was covered with additional armor plating and outcroppings, barbed wire strung across the hull and a large fish’s skull strapped to the bow. A blue mark was painted across the bridge and a blue flag sporting a picture of the skull strung to a mast at the back. The ship was anchored to the dock, slowly rocking with the waves.

“Big Blue, the ship that sales the rivers of Equestria, her crew works with us to bring us here and they’ll take you there, the captain owes me.”

“Why’s that?”

“We caught a raid party boarding the ship and chased em off. Captain’s said he’ll pay it back.”

“Where’s this captain then.”

“Where any captain is, the bar.” I just thought, there’s a bar.

A rough, wild party was thrown in the bar, with two large earth ponies arm wrestling in the many surrounding, yelling and chanting. Two ponies stood in the back, over watching the match. The larger of the two bucks nocked the other’s arm down so fast he lost his balance and collapsed to the floor, causing quite the uproar from the standing audience. The winning buck stood proud, spinning around and taking a large swig from his ail glass, slamming it down to the table.
“That’s your guide.” Ural explained, pointing a talon to the victorious buck.

The buck had a blue hide, but seemed to be covered in filth. The buck had a thick, shaggy beard the same deep black color of his mane. His eyes a softer shade of green, yet his left eye covered with a patch sown to his face. He smoked a thick stogie and wore a tattered, black trench coat and a heavy revolver strapped to his side. Ural began walking towards the buck, shoving those in front of him aside, some even falling to the floor. We fallowed behind him, gaining everyponies gaze. The winning buck turned to face him, staring each down. Suddenly the two shouted and embraced each other, grabbed right arms and flexed their biceps. The mare in the corner rolled her eyes and the buck stood with his head down. Ural flagged us down.

“This grimy cuck’s Dusty Hide, he captains the Big Blue. This scum’ll get you where you need to.” The large buck looked to us, despite being a griffon and naturally standing taller than a pony, we stood at eyelevel. The buck gazed into my eyes, despite him having only one eye, I almost felt like his other was looking me down.

“This wee shits the one I’m to take on ma rust bucket?” he turned to Ural, “Slimy cock looks like a tossed aside thanksgiving dinner, ye think he deserves my transportation, huh.”

“This ‘wee shits’ got my approval, plus, you owed me.” The buck turned to face Ural.

“Didn’t ye cash that in last week, or it be the week before I got yha sorry ass out of the shit storm a month ago.” Ural shrugged back, scratching his neck.

“I tell yha how ye’ll get a ride, a classic drinkin’ game.” The buck waved down the bartender who simply nodded. A mare from the bar through a bottle, with Dusty Hide throwing it to me, looking over the label, “Apple Venom.” “Ye win, I’ll take yha.” Blood Heart stepped up, placing a hoof on my shoulder.

“We can find another way; you don’t need to do this.”

“You know another way; I’d rather take the options handed to me. You’re on.”

The buck smiled walking over and sitting on the barstool, fallowing him I handed the bottle to the bartender, who poured and slit the shot glasses to us. We each took the shot, placing the bottle down.

“Griffons are good drinkers I here, hopefully ye’ll be a fun match, unlike these pansy basturds.” I smiled; I’d handled my drink plenty of times.

By this point the bartenders were getting tired, we had continued until close to thirty shots. While we each started having trouble simply staying upright, we still caught shot after shot, continuing our little game. I had the next slid to me, downing this one was tough, I tilted my head back, downing the shot, I didn’t so much as place the glass, more dropped it, picking my head up, I saw Dusty Hide, passed out on the floor. The crowd was cheering, but I couldn’t hold my head up and collapsed onto the counter, passing out, again.

Waking I was in a, a waterbed? The bed shook slightly, tilting side to tide, though I honestly couldn’t tell if it was just me. Blood Heart walked in.

“I’m kinda tired of you passing out on me.” My head pounded, everything hurt.

“I won?”

“Yha, passed out before you even drank the shot.” With her saying that, Ural had entered the room.

“Honestly thought you’d be at it with him all day, but the basturd says he’ll take you.” I tried sitting up, and failed, falling back down to the bed.

“Where, are we?”

“Your new home for the next few days, the Big Blue.” So I wasn’t hallucinating and was on a rocking boat. The medicine Blood Heart started giving me helped clear my headache, allowing me to think straight.

“How longs it been?”

“About three hours.” Blood Heart spoke up, a certain look of disapproval on her face, Ural nodding.

“I wanna meet our host.” Ural gestured to fallow, we walked out to the upper deck, barrels ropes and chains spread around. We entered the rear superstructure, a mess hall of sorts was built, with the same buck who watched from the corner sat at the table, eating something I was sure was a grilled rat. His coat was brown in color, his mane, a darker brown. He also had a rather impressive rifle slung around his back. He didn’t look at us, didn’t even address our entry, he simply ate his lunch. As we reached the stares, I started hearing muffled voices below deck. As we opened the bottom door into the room, we came to a sleeping quarters of sorts, with storage bins, cabinets and tool lockers lined the walls. Four beds lay out in the middle of the room. On one, I saw Dusty Hide, also suffering from the alcohol. Besides him stood the mare from the bar and a small unicorn stallion, I hadn’t seen yet. The mare was magenta with a light pink mane and blue eyes. She was actually quite cute. The small unicorn was a greyish blue, with a black mane, his eyes a yellowish brown. He wore a tool vest around his waist and had several other tools strung around him, everything from duct tape to an old dishcloth. The buck was drying sweat from Dust Hides forehead, the mare was the first to speak to us.

“He’s up, come here.” Ural had just shrugged, gesturing me forwards. Relentlessly I walked forwards. Rather surprising to me was when the mare flew up, hovering in front of me. The mare flapped her wings, leaving her inches from my face. I had thought that pegasi didn’t live on the ground anymore, myths all told of them leaving. This was a rather unexpected surprise. “What happened, captain hasn’t muttered a clear sentence, and he never shuts up. I’ll ask again, what you do?” she stared deep into my eyes, her blue eyes focusing intensely on my own. I took a deep breath.

“So a while ago I set out to find and kill this guy for revenge, but I needed to get to Baltimare to find him, so I’m told by this guy that he knew another guy who’ll be able to take me there but the captain said only if I won a drinking game, so he challenges me and drank till his big mouth couldn’t hold anymore.” I let in a breath and calmed myself. She still stared me down, I suddenly saw her squint back, and started laughing. Dusty Hide sat up, laughing uncontrollably. I looked to my two companions, who also stood shocked.

“Yha didn’t really think I was serious, did yha.” The pegasus said, whipping a tear from her eye. The unicorn stood there, shaking his head.

“I thought when you would pull one of your little ‘jokes’ you’d let me in on it. I’ve spent the last three hours trying to figure out what’s wrong.”

“Ah, but ye reaction made it all the bettah, pus, yha couldn’t lie your way out the jaws a firey beast.” Dusty Hide finaly saying something. “Now, yha one, so well take yha where ye need to go. I’m Captain Dusty Hide, this flyer be Spotter, that fella be Clockwork and the quiet basturd upstairs be Bullseye. Big Blue, at your service.” The three bowed their heads.

“So, a pegasus?” Blood Heart spoke up.

“Yha got a problem with it?” Spotter demanded.

“Now hold there, aint every day some land lover meets one of yha.” Dusty Hide spoke up. “Spotter here’s a natural born pegasus, somin’ with her family line or shit. Let’s us get to the dinner, talk things over.” We returned up the stairs, each taking a seat in the dinner, Bullseye still eating his rat lunch. Ural had taking a position behind me, not seated for our conversation. “Now, were we be takin’ you?”

“We need to get to Baltimare, it’s along the seaside so we’re hoping for a landing in the harbor.” The room fell quiet, each seemed uneasy. Finally, Dusty Hide spoke up.

“Well, see we’d love to, it’s just in there’s bad written around the waterways to yha destination.” Because of coarse there was.

“What kind of dangers, cause we need to get there.”

“Yha, somin’ about a revenge plotline, look, it aint the reason you wantin’ to go, it’s what’s along that path. See, harbors bad business, things that’d eat this boat for breakfast and want more, not only, but pirates patrol that there harbor, really just some supped-up raider gangs with boats. Ye also gonna wanna reframe from fallowin’ the highway in, rout 95 it was, heads travelers to their death, bad business that.”

“Isn’t there some other way, another road, a path, anything?” Blood Heart asked, mirroring my own thoughts. Dusty Hide sat, scratching at his beard, when Spotter spoke up.

“What of that town by the rivers bend?” with that, Dusty Hide seemed as a light switch went on in his head.

“Could work, this town, outside Baltimare, ye could stop there to gain access to the city.”

“But how’d I get to the city from there?”

“Not directly. What ye need to do is head southeast. Yell cross a mountain pass to Salt Lick City, meet with a place called Phobius City, built in a beached ship, can’t miss it. Tell em Ol’ Dusty sent yha, they’ll help yha.”

“Isn’t Salt Lick City out of the way?”

“A little, but be the only safe way to ye destination, if ye want me advice, there it is.” This could work, but one thing.

“How would I get to Baltimare from Salt Lick City? You had just said something about pirates”

“This old traffic tunnel, built for a subway between the cities, it’ll land yha just outside the city, past that bad mojo along 95. Ye’ll be able to enter there, tunnels guarded both ends by Talon Mercs.” I looked to Blood Heart; she seemed to ponder the journey ahead.

“This tunnel, it’s safe, right?”

“Yha, caravans use it all the time, reinforced concrete and steel, survived a megaspell after all.” We both looked to each under, deciding if I’d be the way to go.

“Alright, we have a deal.” Dust Hide smiled, holding a hoof out. Taking it, we shook and Spotter did a twirl in the air.

“Alright ye sorry abortion misses, let’s get this hunk-o-junk so sail worthy the lord Luna would be happy to ascend from above to take a trip!” the crew all stood up, readying things on the Big Blue. “We be leavin’ in an hour, anythin’ ye need, get it done.”

The ship became a coordinated mess, with things being tied down, moved to the lower deck and engine checks. The ponies in the town all carried on, not taken interest in the crews work. I hadn’t anything I needed done, I fallowed Clockwork down to the lower deck, to the same room as I awoke in. I now got a proper look at the room. A large mat covered the floor; several storage bins lined the back wall and four bunks on either side. There also stood a table and chairs in a corner and an old radio on a stool.

“You’ll stay here, though, you already been here.” The small unicorn turned to walk out the room, Blood Heart moved to place her things away in a container.

“Hey, wait” the buck turned back to face me. “You aren’t like the other crew, why’s that?” the unicorn stood, a little uneasy. He stood up straight, took a breath and exhaled, meeting my gaze.

“A few years ago the captain found me, I was working on this ship, I found it in an abandoned shed along the river. I faced problems with a raider group who wanted to steel the ship after I built it; I just wanted to use the ship to get away. He offered to take care of them and to my surprise, he kills them. He protected me; getting stuff, I needed and even taught me to shoot. We got the boat running and I personally asked if he would join me. He doesn’t like to remember, but back then, he called himself Big Blue. After that we roamed the river ways, gathering tales and stories, making friends too.”

“Is that how you met Spotter and Bullseye?”

“Yha, Bullseye was a fired mercenary we came across in a stop. Dusty offered to hire him, asking if he’d take the position as bodyguard, Bullseye joined then.”

“I’ve wondered, why’s that buck so quiet, cat got his tongue?”

“Actually, slavers do. He won’t tell, but sometime in his youth he was a slave, they cut his tongue out to keep him from talking. Hard to tell, but I think he’s happy working here, just doesn’t show it.”

“I didn’t know, I’m so-“he cut me off.

“Don’t, he doesn’t like others feeling sorry for him, I think he’s just so over it. Anyway, Spotter was an interesting one, we found her causing quite the commotion in a town, when we arrived she challenged Dusty to a drinking game, she lost, bad. She decided to join, to get him back for beating her.”

“I wasn’t expecting a pegasus, is she really natural born?”

“Yha, she said her father’s great something grandfather was a pegasus, so by luck, so is she.” Our little conversation was interrupted by Dusty shouting something about the engines, calling Clockwork’s attention. “It’s been nice”

“Blacktuff, the names Blacktuff.”

“Well, it’s been nice Blacktuff.”

As I settled into my space, dropping bags of and weapons, Ural had approached.

“Well, it’s time we part ways.” I stood up, facing him. “I have duties here, but you have a quest, so, get to It.” we each shook hands, saying our goodbyes. Blood Heart started talking to me; I laid down, embracing the new bed.

“We have quite the journey ahead.”

“Don’t have to tell me.”

“You still think of him, your friend, that is?” I sat there, quiet for a short while.

“Every now and again, I get these, memories of things we did, good memories. Reminds me why I’m really out here.” There was a short pause between us, Blood Heart speaking up again.

“I can’t remember her face, my mother, that is. I try, but I can’t even remember her voice. I need you to remember what he looks like, because forgetting can be harder on you than losing them.” There was a longer pause than before.
“I can remember this time as a kid, we each snuck into the village’s chicken coop, we wanted to steel a few eggs for his mom. We each end up taking about half a dozen eggs before he bumps into a stall, scarring the chickens and causing us to flee. We had a guard meet us outside the coop, he dragged us to our parents and we each had to spend the next weekend cleaning the coop. that was it, the last time we each got in trouble together.” We spent a short time in silence.

“It isn’t my name, you know” Blood Heart finally said.

“I kinda figured that, even for you ponies that’s a little ridiculous.”

“Yha, well it was a nickname after takin’ the bullet to the chest. After my mother passed I didn’t want to remember the name, but when I was born, my mother gave me the name Greypatch. I never let anyone call me that and the nickname just kinda stuck.”

“I like that name.”

Time passed and our river ride had started, we left Farwood Bog about an hour ago, the waters gentle rocking the Big Blue as I slept a well-deserved nap. Dusty Hide had warned we’d hit rougher waters in a few hours, so I needed as much sleep as I could get. I had never been in a boat before, but the gentle rocking was soothing, reminded me much of flying on a good day.

We passed old, wrecked docks and long abandoned town built along the river several times, sometimes single homes and others entire towns. Our journey took us by a factory, but I’d been warned not make noise, as something bad lurked in there. We reached the rapids and our ride became rough, Greypatch began feeling seasick and had to stay on the upper deck. I spent time cleaning and sorting our equipment and talking with the crew, Spotter even challenged me to a race; I won. The Big Blue rocked and tipped in some dangerous and unsettling ways. With every tilt, I myself found it harder to stay calm, expecting any second for the boat to tip on its side.

Midnight had passed, Dusty Hide had said by sunrise, or at least what would be sunrise, we’d reach our destination. The early morning fog creeped over the river, sounds of frogs, insects and other oddities sounded around us, the light from oil lanterns was all we had to go off. The gentle rocking had relatively stopped, leaving a calm, peaceful ride; Greypatch had fallen asleep below. I talked with Dusty Hide before, now we each sat calm, enjoying the morning air.

Quiet thuds ran against the boat, Dusty Hide suggested underwater rubble. We continued facing thuds, the boat’s hull tilting the same as in the rapids once. The water picked up, shaking and rocking the boat, sending me almost on the floor. Dusty Hide had a face of shock, but faded to sheer…excitement!

“Alright ye sleepin’ basturds, we got a guest we be waitin’ for!” the buck shouted, leaning over the railing. The superstructures door opened, Spotter dashing out, hovering in the air and Bullseye standing strong.

“What, what’s happening?” Greypatch said as she walked out from the lower deck. Dusty Hide pointed to her shouting about the waves and how he’d seen this before. I grabbed him, looking him in the eye.

“Drop the bullshit, what’s goin’ on?”

“We be entering the reach of the Leviathan” the…Leviathan, this could only end well. The ship was hit with such force it shifted directions slightly, I almost fell to the floor, releasing my hold on Dust Hide, the rest of us except Spotter losing our balance. Along the right of the ship, I saw a large sail from the water cross by, lower and dart its way in front of the Big Blue.

“He’s splitting for the rocks” Spotter called, looking over the shadow of the serpent.

“Disperse, ye know yha positions” Dusty Hide shouted, each member of the crew taking their positions around. Clockwork even manning a machinegun position at the front of the ship. Bullseye climbed up to a crow’s nest, taking aim with his large rifle. The captain took control of the wheel, shouting for us to get below deck. Greypatch, without hesitation moved below deck.

“No, I can help, I can fly” the crew needed help with this one, it’s a damn serpent, anypony would want help with that. Dust Hide nodded, but furthered his position on the wheel.

“What do ye see up there?”

“I lost it in the fog; I can’t see a damn thing.” Spotter shouted, squinting her eyes to try to see any sign of the Leviathan. Bullseye using his rifles scope looked throughout the waterways. Clockwork began to shout from the bow.

“Captain, movement in the water!” the crew looked ahead and the unmistakable sail from before showed itself, moving towards the Big Blue.

“Fire!” Dusty Hide shouted. The guns around the ship opened up on the beast, the machinegun tearing through the water, the sail not changing directions. Bullseye opened fire with his rifle, the large rounds making quite a splash in the water, still the sale charged unrelenting. “Brace!” the ship was smacked with the serpent, greatly tossing us to the side and tossing us off balance. The ship rocked to the right, smacking into the rock side, halting us slightly. The water trembled, a great weave rose as the serpent’s head erected from below the waves. The Leviathan’s head rose taller than the mast, its jaw opening, reveling rows or razor sharp teeth. The Leviathan let out a roar that of a hurricane that shook me to my core, the fins around its face extending out and the sale along its back raised up. Many old bullet wounds spread throughout his head and body, showing the previous battles the serpent must have faced.

“How the hell can we take it?”

“We got somethin’ it doesn’t, intelligence. Bullseye, ye know your cue, Spotter takes position, Clockwork keeps the heat. Blacktuff, I need yha ta try and keep him distracted.” Nodding I draw my SMG and begin unloading rounds into the beast, the rounds doing little more than scratching his scales. Clockwork began firing rounds into the beast’s side as well, Bullseye held his fire. I realized I needed more, racing down to the lower level I opened the gun locker by my bed, Greypatch hiding on her bunk.

“It’s gonna kill us, isn’t it?” she said in a shaken tone.

“We’ll kill it; captain seems to have encountered it before, looks to have a plan.”

“We’ll die, wont we.” Before I could respond a massive smacked into the wall of our room, the wood and metal bending, some water leaking in the room, the ship stopped rocking and I could hear Dusty Hide further shouting at the serpent. After righting myself, I reached into the locker and got my weapon, Fatal Blow. I took off, flying out the lower level and into the air meeting Spotter.

“We gotta keep him distracted; keep him from attacking the Big Blue. You any good with that?” she pointed to my rifle. I had only fired a single round from it and that was in a sitting position with the gun saddling the window frame, I couldn’t imagine how this would be firing while flying. I nodded a little slowly, sending a bit of a mixed message to Spotter. “Fallow my lead” she dove towards the ship, dodging the serpent and attacking it from behind, distracting it for a short while. Big Blue managed to unlogged itself from the rocks, continuing its trek forward. The serpent, distracted by Spotter, stayed put. I took aim, the sights of Fatal Blow lined to the serpent’s throat, a place I imagined a vulnerable spot. Checking the rifles round I chamber the first round and took a breath. My finger squeezed the trigger gently, in the confusion of the fight, I heard the faint sound of the firing pin springing free, but then the concussive blast from the round shook me, the blast nocking me off balance, almost dropping the rifle.

It did nothing. After I regained flight, the Leviathan showed now sign the massive round even punched through its skin. I tried again and again, each time the round seeming to do little than scratch the serpent’s scales.

“We can’t take this thing!” I shouted to Spotter, who flew back to me.

“Don’t worry, we’ve been planning for this, just keep him still.” She said, rather too confidently. I flew back to the big blue and replaced Fatal Blow with my hunting rifle as to save the ammo for Fatal Blow. While the large rounds of Fatal Blow did nothing to it, these hunting rounds would do much either, but I had far more of these. Shot after shot, nothing still.

“How’s he holdin’ turkey?” Dusty Hide called from the helm, a rather happy tone to his voice.

“He aint even effected!”

“Good, keep em there.” What he mean by that. The captain turned to say something to Bullseye, who still held his fire, when something unexpected happened. I felt as if the floor beneath me slid away, as I fell to the railing on the side of the bridge. The serpent turned, its massive tail smacking into the ship and almost sending it on her side. The rocking of the Big Blue even made me nauseous. I looked to where Dusty Hide was; he was gone. I saw no trace of him even being on deck. I looked around, nothing. Bullseye seemed to scan the water too, looking for his captain. Panicking I tried steering the Big Blue away from a rocky outcropping. The ship was having trouble staying upright, with the turns causing more leaning and unsteady sailing as before, though to be fair, I didn’t know what I was doing. I saw something from the corner of my eye, a rope hanging off the right of the ship; it seemed to have some weight on it. I ran to the railing with urgency, and saw that lucky basturd hanging on to the rope.

“Yha pathetic, overgrown sausage couldn’t even nock me off me own ship!” he shouted at Leviathan, though I doubt it could actually hear him. I smiled and pulled him up to the bridge.

“You lucky son-of-a-bitch you.”

“Wasn’t luck, just knowing ye own ship.” He smiled, taking his proper place behind the wheel and steered the Big Blue around, the bow headed towards the serpent. He kicked an armored box behind him and a flare shot out, soaring into the sky. This seemed to by the signal each was waiting for, as Bullseye, Spotter and Clockwork seemed ready. Spotter flew past the ship, turning around and landing on the deck. She grabbed something from a bow and took back off. Clockwork began throwing cherry bombs at the serpent, distracting it. When it dove to bite him, Spotter lifted him out of the way. Placing him on the deck, the serpent reared, roaring out. Spotter threw the box’s content into the beast’s mouth, dodging several attempts by it to eat her. As she flew away, it opened its mouth towards Bullseye, who fired a single shot. His rifle was loud, even compared to Fatal Blow, its external hammer striking down, sending sparks out, and a mass cloud of smoke exiting the gun. The rifle round collided with the box in the serpents mouth, without a delay the box reacted, exploding. The blast destroyed the serpents head, sending the limp, headless body tumbling down below the waves and creating one final rough wave for the Big Blue to deal with. Leviathan had been killed.

To call what fallowed after a party was an understatement. We danced and sang above deck, using fine wines and snacks the crew stowed away in the event they killed the beast. Greypatch, after some calming down, arose from the lower deck and joined us. The Big Blue was heavily damaged, the sides bashed from not only Leviathan but the rocks and other debris.

“We’ve been dealing with that basturd for almost ten years, and he’s dead!” shouted Spotter on several occasions. After our celebration we each rested, the Big Blue being temporarily docked. Our trip continued with our arrival into Freehoof sounded the end to our ride. Freehoof, according to Dusty Hide, was a place for all. The mayor built the town after he was denied entry into another city. He’s gone to build a community for himself. The town of Freehoof doesn’t seem to take sides or fight other factions, rather keeping to themselves. Our arrival to the docks saw the look of the town. Built off pre-war scrap the building and surrounding wall hobbled together with metal and junk. The town was centered on a large building, more than likely the mayor’s home. The town had a market to the left of the dock and near the main gate.

“We made it.” Dusty Hide called. The early morning air and breeze almost tricking you into thinking the world didn’t end.

“Thanks, for the ride and everything.” I said to the crew, who gathered around us.

“What’ll you do now?” Greypatch added.

“We’ll head back to base, got some repairing to do.” Clockwork called out. Dusty Hide walked up to us.

“Ye always got a friend in the waves, we’re with yha kid. Now go, find the basturd ye after and make him pay.” I smiled at that, he had a genuine look in his eye that told me he cared. Waving a goodbye one final time we parted ways, walking out to the dock and seeing the Big Blue readying to leave. The ponies here had an, uh, interesting look to them. Each looked as if they’d either try to kill me, rob me or some mix of the two. I decided we’d find a place to stay first before finding the mayor. After finding a bar, we rented a room and settled our things in.

“We’ll leave about two hours to look for a mayor, ok”

“Ok, but could we really not stay here long, don’t like the look of this place.”

“You think I don’t either. We need a way to know the area, know if the mayor knows anything. We’ll get out of here.” Greypatch laid down across her bed, more than likely enjoying a bed that wasn’t rocking. “We’ll be outta here soon enough.”

“If you don’t inevitably get roped into someone else’s problems.” She said a rather annoying hint of sarcasm to her voice.

“Come on, I know how it is feel helpless in a town, plus you wanted me to help out in Woodworks.”

“Still, you have a mission, what’s to say this place, or Phobius won’t have anything for you to do?”

“We’ll see; for now we need to stay focused.”

It was nice sleeping in a stationary bed again, though the gentle rocking of the Big Blue was relaxing in its own way. Thinking on what Greypatch had said I really began to wonder what I’d prioritized since coming out here. I had helped Woodworks not of a general need, but more because I knew how it was facing an enemy, you were powerless against. I had to help Radioactive Falls as per a deal but even still I could have probably bartered or talked my way around getting the information rather than helping. I had never thought of myself as someone who would do the “good” thing, more of just someone who would do the right thing. After my town was attacked, I feel as though I wouldn’t let that happen to any other if possible. I don’t care what that makes me, if only it means standing up for what I believe is right, and I could start by killing my killer.

After we awoke to the morning bustle of town, we each washed and took time gathering out stuff. I needed to find the mayor and I figure starting at the largest building in town would help. Turns out, I was wrong. The massive structure in the center of town wasn’t a town hall but rather a storage barn for scrap, food an all sorts of other things. Asking a guard, he directed me to a simple, two story building in the edge of the town center. I mistook the building for a mayor’s office as it just looked like a normal home. Each other town had always had the leader in the biggest structure. Entering the mayor’s office, we came to a front meeting room, chairs lined in roes with a podium in the far corner. Old world Equestrian flags hung on the wall behind the podium and two old paintings adorn the walls. Walking in further, I heard slight mumbling upstairs. Greypatch decided to stay put as I climbed to meet the mayor. Entering the room, I saw a pony I couldn’t expect to be a mayor. He was a ghoul, but his lime greenish coat still showed itself in small patches. His eyes bloodshot, leaving the original color unidentifiable. He wore an old world Equestrian military officer’s uniform, a nice looking suit colored red with a white undershirt and black tie. It had the Equestrian sun flag on the right shoulder and a three star pattern on both collars. His hat was a black officer’s hat with the same three stars across the front. In all the uniform was in some decay as it had holes, tares and patches sown to it, the hat had a rip to the right side.
“Wha, who’s that?” he said, in a similar scratchy tone to Baby Blue. He laid across an old couch, his table before him a host for many types of chems and alcohol, the floor covered in empty beer bottles.

“Mayor?”

“Yha, who the fuck are yha?”

“I’m Blacktuff, I need your help getting to Phobius City.” He sat up, rubbed his eyes and looked to me.

“Ho-le-shit, you’re that pidgin who arrived in the wee hours, aint yha? I wondered when I’d have yha entering my humble abode, not often a lone pidgin wanders into town. I’m Mayor Harpy, what can I do for yha.”

“How’d you know I arrived?”

“What you think I don’t know what the fuck happens in my town, what kind of mayor you take me for.”

“I just, whatever, I’m trying to get to Phobius City; any chance you know a safe rout?”

“Don’t know why you need to get there but your funeral, there’s a mountain pass dead east of here, you’ll see an old hiking trail to fallow. Take it to the other side and meet with the highway, rout 86. It’ll take yha to Salt Lick, but finding Phobius is your own job.”

“Thanks, I can work with this.” Leaving the office, I was surprised, I hadn’t needed to do something for this guy, pay him or anything. Was he drunk, high or some odd mix of the two? Either way we needed to find some hiking trail next. After walking down to the ground floor, I saw Greypatch next to somepony. Greypatch spoke up.

“Tuff, he’s got a job for you.”

Notice: Level Up

New Perk: Toughness Level Two
You’re quite strong, you know. Now resist 10% overall damage and gain 5% more health.