Fallout: Equestria - SURVIVOR

FALLOUT EQUESTRIA: SURVIVOR

Chapter 3: Discoveries

The sudden absence of light almost made me freak out.

My breathing began to pick up again, and I felt another gnawing at the back of my skull. It kept screaming at me: “Run to the door. Bang on it. Try the override code again. Get back inside the stable. You won’t make it out here.”

“No, that’s not how this was going to work.” I left that place because I didn’t want to die for nothing. I wanted to live; I wanted to kill the asshole who calls the shots. If I went back, there’d be no way of accomplishing that.

I pulled up my PipBuck and hit the light switch on the front. The device shown a bright green light that lit up the area. I looked around at my surroundings.

The stable door itself was rusty and clearly showing its age. In the middle of the door was a faded number 11 that glowed slightly in the dark. Another control panel sat on the left of it, looking rusty but not broken. The floor in front of it was metal, before smoothing out to rough dirt.

I slowly paced around the area, getting a feel of the terran. I’d lived my entire life in the stable, so I had always walked on solid metal or tile floors. This was my first time walking on dirt, and it felt great! It scratched at my hooves and covered them in a fine layer of dust….or stone dust to be precise.

I stopped moving and shone my light across the rest of the cavern. It seemed barren except for a few boulders father up ahead. But then I looked below them, and saw a skull looking back at me.

I jumped a little in surprise, but still managed to keep my cool. I walked up to the skull, seeing the rest of the structure lying behind it. The bones were a little scorched, but overall it seemed fine. Nothing was sitting near it except for a sign with the words: We’re Dying Assholes. Let Us In!

I shook my head sadly, thinking this pony was lucky he wasn’t let it. He was able to die out here with a purpose: trying to get in. Futile, but at least he didn’t die because the Overstallion didn’t like him.

Not much better, but still better than the Overstallion option.

“Alright, enough gawking,” I said. I looked around the cavern, waving my PipBuck wherever I needed to look. “There’s got to be an exit somewhere.”

I left the skeleton behind and began walking down the cavern. The terrain was flat at first, but soon began to slope up. I had to climb over so fallen rocks a few times, but other than that nothing got in my way.

“How far down did they build these stables?” I’d studied books on the making of stables before, but none spoke about the depth or location of a stable.

I decided the best bet for me was to just keep walking until I found an exit. The slope was beginning to flatten out again, so I figure I must be getting close to the exit. But what I found instead wasn’t an exit.

I reached the top of a large slope, and found myself at the foot of a spiraling staircase. The structure was made of metal, and had rust all over it. I looked up as the stairs spiraled into the blackness above.

“This must be the way to the top,” I said aloud. I put my hoof on the first step and pressed down on it. I heard a slight groan, but the staircase didn’t fall apart. Good thing, because I needed to climb it.

I put my other hoof on the step above it. Once again, it creaked but didn’t collapse. I repeated this process as I slowly climbed up the staircase. The cavern walls reflected the light of my PipBuck, making everything seem brighter.

I looked up above me, and noticed a platform a few more steps up. A hole was cut in the middle to make room for the spiraling staircase. When I finally reached the top, I looked around the area.

The platform wasn’t very big, but it was roomy enough to walk around. A few open crates sat along one side, while a table occupied the middle. On the side opposite the crates was a small terminal station. Metal poles stuck into the floor, each with a small gate in between the others. A sign above the area read: ENTRANCE CHECK IN.

“It looks like this was where ponies came before going down to the stable,” I said as I walked to the terminal. I began to imagine what my Great-Great-Grandparents were thinking when they came down here that day.

Hundreds of ponies pushing and shoving, trying to get to the safety of the Stable. The guards that must have been trying to keep everypony calm while the megaspells rained down outside. The cries of foals and the mayhem that would follow.

Uck, I didn’t have time to think of stuff like that. I need to see if there was anything helpful up here. I trotted over to the terminal that sat on the podium. The screen was dark, but then I noticed the power switch was off. I push it up and watched the screen blink to life. Green light helped my PipBuck with lighting the room, and green words appeared on the screen.

“Stable-Tec Terminal for check in at Stable 11. Server has been offline for 120 years, five months, Two weeks, 1 hour, and 44 minutes. Please check with Stable-Tec mechanics for any questions relating to server problems.”

“Too late now. I highly doubt there are any technicians left,” I said. But I kept my focus on looking over the terminal. I scrolled through the notes and maintenance records, but none of that interested me. What did catch my attention was the list of audio files.

I’d listened to a lot of audio files during my time in the stable. Most of them were radio messages from soldiers or speeches given by the princesses. But that was all that was available. The Overstallion kept the more interesting files locked up. But now, I had a chance to listen to a few new ones. I clicked the one that was located on the top.

Entry #1: Well Stable-Tec is making us do these audio files as a way of better preserving all aspects of ponykind. I really don’t see why I have to do this. I’m just an employee who sits here all day waiting for the shit to hit the fan. But hey, I follow orders, so I’ll give this a try.

Entry #2: We had a dry run today for if, or as the boss says, WHEN, the bombs drop. We had a few volunteers walk through here today, and we had to work as if this was a real life situation. That meant handing out passes, ushering them down the stairs, and even closing the stable door. A whole lot of work for no pay off.

Entry #3: Mrs. Scootaloo, or as we're supposed to call her, Vice-President Scootaloo, visited the stable today. I had to lead her down to it and take her through all the rooms and hallways. She kept asking if everything was cleaned and readied for when the bombs dropped. I talked about our dry run a few days ago, and she seemed pleased with that. But then she asked me to take her to the Overstallion’s office. Once we got there, she made me wait outside while she “checked some programing.” I did what I was told and stood watch. I heard what sounded like machinery working inside, but didn’t go and see what it was. She came out ten minutes later with a half smile on her face. After that she left, and I was back doing what I usually do.

Entry #4: Working on a Saturday, just great. My wife wanted me, her, and our son Punch Bowl to go out for the day. The sun is shining and the temp. is just perfect. And where am I? Stuck down in this dark and damp cave. Goddesses this is torture. Stable-Tec puts so much effort into these stables, but where’s the proof those Zebra bastards will go so far that we have to use them. If I was in charge of Stable-Tec, I’d make sure that….”

The last entry was cut off by the sound of something exploding. I could hear rocks falling from the roof, and ponies running around shouting. I couldn’t hear what they were shouting, but I could hear the pony on the recording.

“My Celestia….IT’S HAPPENING! They did it, oh fuck, they actually did it. My wife, Punch Bowl, they’re still out there. I….I have to go find them. I….what is it Free Throw?

I listened to the conversation intently. I could hear two voices talking at once. One sounded panicky, the other sounded stern.

“WHAT, what do you mean I can’t leave? My family is out there, and I have to make sure they’re safe. Screw Stable-Tec and the Stables. I’m going out to find my family! Want to stop me, HA, just try!”

I heard the sound of a pony running, which was surprising given the amount of noise going on in the background. I waited a few seconds before another voice spoke up.

“....well it would seem that Cocktail has, uh, stepped out for the moment. We’ll probably have ponies running up here any minute now, so I’ll finish this up. I just got one message to say to whoever’s listening. Those Zebra bastards won’t kill our nation. Equestria is strong, and will fight as hard as we can do defend ourselves. Because while we may suffer, we’ll never fall.”

The recording cut out again with a resounding beep.

***

Numbness and apathy filled my body when the recording cut off. I didn’t know weather to feel sad or inspired. Even when fire was raining from the sky, a pony had still found time to record a loving message about his nation. About the ponies who lived in it, and the Zebras that tried to destroy it.

For some reason, that started to fill me with hope. So I decided to transfer the audio recordings into my PipBuck. “Maybe these can lift my spirits up sometimes….at least the last one.”

Once all the files were downloaded, I walked past the gates and found myself in another tunnel. This one had a metal floor, but the rest was natural rock. I looked up ahead and saw a door at the other end.

“Sweet,” I thought, racing towards the door. “I finally found a way out.”

I quickly reached the door, which looked worn out and ready to fall apart. The wood was splintered and in some places rotten. I grabbed the knob with my hooves, but then looked back at the hallway and the platform beyond it.

“This is it. When I step outside, there’s no going back,” I said to myself. But I didn’t hear any arguments from my brain, so I knew I had to leave.

Looking back at the door, I pushed it open and walked through to the world beyond.

____________________________________________________

The world beyond wasn’t much brighter.

I walked through the door, and was greeted by the sight of a large open area. Walls rose up around me, encircling me like a bowl. They stopped at the end opposite of me, leaving a large area that was my only way out.

Wind pushed at my face and through my mane. It smelled like a mix between sewage and grassbars they used to serve in the Diner. I looked up at the sky, and saw nothing but dark grey. No white clouds and blue skies like they showed in kids books.

“Alright Flatfoot, think. You finally made it outside….now what.” I had been so focused on making it outside, I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do when I finally got out.

I pulled up my PipBuck and pressed on the MAPS feature. A small map appeared on the screen, with a yellow blimp that represented me. A cog shaped image appeared behind me with the name “Stable 11” written under it.

“Okay, looks like I’m facing east right now. There’s a roadway not far from here, so that’s probably going to be the best place to start,” I said while looking at the areas surrounding the stable.

I put a marker on the road’s location, which thanks to my PipBuck, appeared as a little arrow in my vision. When I turned left, it pointed right. When I turned right, it pointed left. And when I looked forward, it pointed forward.

Now that I had a way of keeping me on track, I walked away from the door and across the barren area. There weren’t even rocks or boulders along the walls. Nothing but a wide open space filled with dirt.

Once I made it to the other side, I walked through the canyon until I reached the other side. A large field spread out in front of me, covered in dead grass and withered shrubs. I spotted the roadway a good distance ahead, and started walking towards it.

While I was walking, I got another message on my PipBuck. It was a signal from a radio station, but there was no name for it. Truthfully I was surprised that there was even radio out here, let alone a station. But since I was growing uncomfortable by the silence, I tuned the radio station to my PipBuck.

“HELLOOO WASTELAND! This is DJ Pon3, coming to you live from my studio in the fabulous Tenpony Tower. Looks like we got, surprisingly, a bit of news. Listen up fillies this stuff's important.”

The pony on the air sounded a little too happy for my tastes. His speech reminded me of Disk Jocky, the pony who ran Stable 11’s radio station. She had always tried to replicate the way radio broadcasters used to talk before the war. Not that she was bad at it, but it did get annoying after a while.

“Alright folks, our first bit of news comes from the town of Stalliongrad out in the south. The town has been recently attacked day after day by raiders. It all started a few weeks ago, but we haven’t been told how. So if you’re down in the area, or planning on going by their, you might want to stop by. Ponies from their are saying they need all the help they can get if the want to beat these savages. If you got the guns and the guts, they’re willing to pay for services.”

“Geeze, is that what it’s like out here?” I had always known that the outside was a dangerous place. We’d been told that since we started going to school.

But usually it was because of radiation and weird creatures. We’d never been told anything about other ponies and what they may do.

Another beep came from my PipBuck, which I quickly looked at. A small box had appeared on the map, south of the road I was walking to. There was no name under it, but I figured it must have been Stalliongrad.

I finally made it to the stretch of road I’d marked. My PipBuck told me that the road was called “Highway 10.” But now that I was here, I had to decide which way to go. I could either follow the road north and hope to find something that way. OR, I could go south to Stalliongrad.

You’d think I’d pick to go north, avoiding the town that was being pelted by raiders….whatever they were. But I had to think logically if I wanted to survive out here. I had no idea what was in the areas to the north, and if there was even a safer town that way.

Right now, Stalliongrad was the closest place to my location. And raiders or not, I need to find someplace where I could stay and figure out what to do next. So I put a marker on my PipBuck, turned until the arrow pointed toward it, and set off down the road.

***

I had been walking for a hour or two now, and still hadn’t reached Stalliongrad. The road was a lot rougher than the dirt or the cavern floors. I didn’t know if this a concrete or some other kind of material, but it did leave deeper scratches on my hooves.

Every once in awhile I’d come across some kind of ruined cart. Most were either sitting on the side of the road, or lying a little further away. I checked everyone I came across hoping to find something useful. So far all I’d managed to find was a few healing potions and bobby pins. Not really anything I was desperate for, but useful none the less.

I had walked a little farther along when I came across something. It was moving in the shrubs, keeping out of my sight. I couldn’t tell if it was a pony or something else. I was about to go and see what it was when it jumped out at me.

It had a large bloated body, and short stubby legs. It’s head slanted down to a rather large mouth. Big, sharp teeth pointed out it’s mouth, perfect for ripping flesh off another animal….or pony. It moved so fast that I barely had enough time to move out of the way. It soared past me before landing on the road and turning to face me again.

My E.F.S. showed the thing as hostile, but I already knew that. I readied my gun and slipped into S.A.T.S., picking the creature's head as my target. I bit the mouthpiece and watched as five bullets blasted from my gun and embedded themselves into the creature's head. It stopped moving and slumped to the ground, while the red dot on my E.F.S. disappeared.

I slipped out of S.A.T.S. and went to examine my first kill. It seemed much bigger up close, but I still couldn’t tell what it was. “Whatever it is, I killed it. And that means meat,” I said.

I knew that thing was probably irradiated, but I only had eight cans of syrup apples, so eventually I’d need to find different kinds of food. So I picked up my knife and began carving a large section of flesh out of the creature. Blood poured out of the cuts and covered my hooves. But I just worked through it until I had a large section of meat in my hooves. I wrapped it in some scrap paper I found and placed it in my saddlebag.

Once I did, I checked my PipBuck to see if it had a name for it. And surprisingly, it could tell what it was. The name of the item said “Radhog Meat.”

“So that’s a radhog? Well I sure hope they taste as good as they fight,” I said. But in all honesty I was just hoping it didn’t put me out of my misery. Maybe cooking it would help kill any unwanted viruses it might be carrying.

I left the radhog carcass on the side of the road, thinking another animal or pony might be able to make better use of it. I continued on walking for a while after that.

“Well, that was something” I said to myself. I could feel adrenaline rushing through my body, pounding at my head and legs. Sweat poured down over my face, but overall I felt like I’d just escaped from the stable five times over!

I continued walking in silence for another hour before I couldn’t stand the silence anymore. I’d turned off the Equestria One Radio signal a while ago, not wanting to hear anything else about towns getting attacked. But right now, I’d rather have anything than silence. I turned on my PipBuck radio and tuned it to the radio station.

“Alright ponies, DJ’s back and ready to fill your hearts with lead….sorry, I mean joy. I’d just gotten finished talking to a former raider a while ago, and it seems his words stuck to me.”

“What a freak this stallion is,” I said. The way he described things in a joking manner. It just….just…. “makes me want to shoot something.”

“Anyway listeners, I have one last piece of news for you before we get back to the tunes. Anypony who’s currently, or planning on, traveling past Fillydelphia might want to rethink their plans. The New Equestrian Military has been getting more and more violent to all those who pass by their city. Sometimes they shoot you, other times they forcefully drag you into the city. So my advice, stay out of that area and come to Manehattan. There’s plenty of room and lots of buildings you can make your own. And now, some music.”

A soft tune began to filter through the PipBuck speakers, filling the area around me with music. My brain became calmer when the tunes reached my ear. “Now that sounds nice,” I said a I continued on my way to Stalliongrad.

***

A few hours later I was walking over a small hill. I had left the road a while ago since it curved off in another direction. When I reached the summit, I spotted my destination in the distance. A large wall surrounded a number of large buildings, with a few towers at certain points around it.

“Finally, I was beginning to think I’d never get here,” I said while I walked down the hill. The area on the other side didn’t have any grass, but it did have a lot of rotten trees. They didn’t look at all like the trees I’d seen in pre-war books; with green leaves and a hard brown trunk.

“Radiation can really kill the mood of any environment,” I said while I walked past the rooting plants. The town was much closer now; I could see ponies walking along the top of the walls. They were all looking out across the land, some with guns floating next to them.

One of the guards looked over in my direction, before turning and shouting something to another pony. He looked in my direction, and soon most of them were doing the same. I couldn’t see the looks on their faces, but I imagined they didn’t seem happy.

As I got closer, I cleared my throat. “HELLO,” I called “How’s it going. Pretty good day hu?”

I expected the ponies to holler back. Either some kind of greeting or a holler to get lost. What I didn’t expect was what actually happened.

I was almost to the wall when I heard the gunshot ring out. Something whizzed through the air and struck me above my chest. The worst pain I’d ever felt rang through my whole body. I didn’t even have time to scream before I heard another gun go off.

This time the bullet hit me in the flank, spilling more blood over me. The wound from the first blast was already spilling my blood over the ground, mixing it with the dirt. My legs collapsed under me, too worn out to hold me up.

“Oh Celestia….this is painful. Is, is this it? Am I going to die?” I thought as I sat there bleeding to death. The pain was just getting worse, and it was hard for me to breath.

“Hey You!”

I looked up to see who had called….big mistake.

The moment I looked up, I saw something large and round coming straight at me. It hit me hard in the head and everything went dark.

***

“....I think he’s getting better….”

“....what’s a pony like him doing someplace like this….”

“....Think he’s going to die. He did get hit with those buck shots…”

“....Don’t doubt my medical skills Flank. I’m pretty good with a needle. But it was a nightmare getting all those balls out of him….”

“....well he’d better wake up soon. He’s wasting our supplies and our time….”

“....Then you should have thought about that before you riddled him with bullets. Next time think before you act….”

“....I told those two not to fire, but they didn’t listen to me. Next time it’ll be Spark and Zap who’ll be getting the wind kicked out of them….”

“....Well go talk to them now. I’ll send Spark in later to help you move him. Until then, do whatever you can….”

“....Yes Sir….”

The voices were so soft and far away, I thought I was dreaming. The pain from earlier was gone, but then I couldn’t feel anything. All I saw was darkness, but the voices seemed close.

But soon I began to feel my eyes again, and slowly started opening them. The light burned my sockets, but I didn’t stop. Blurred images flashed around me, but I couldn’t make out any of them. Three large lights sat above me, while the ceiling had a faint blue color to it.

The spinning in my head began to slow down, and the images became less blurred. I began to make out the face of a pony looking down at me. Soon my vision cleared enough that I could see her properly.

It was a bright red unicorn mare with a golden mane tied in a ponytale. She had on a white hat with a red cross stitched onto the front. A stethoscope hung around her neck, and a syringe was floating in her magic. She wore a pink nurse uniform, but it wa short enough that her bandage cutie-mark was visible She was smiling right at me.

“Oh good, you're finally awake. I was beginning to think you were either in a coma or brain dead. Guess we got to you just in time,” she said with a smile.

I didn’t know what to say at this point. I was lying in a strange place with a strange pony looking down at me. I wanted to sit up, but as I tried, I felt red hot pain spread through my body again. It seemed to emanate from my chest and flanks, so both ends were covered.

The unicorn mare put her hooves on me and gently pressed me back onto the table. “Don’t move, your injuries haven’t had time to heal yet. We’re going to move you to the recovery room in a while so you can rest. Until then, you need to stay still.”

I groaned and tried to look around the room. It was fairly big, bigger than most rooms in the stable. The table I was on was just one for three that sat in a row in the middle of the room. Cabinets sat at the four corners of the room, while the rest of the wall space was taken up by trays of medical equipment.

“I know you must have some questions,” said the mare, taking a seat in a small chair next to my table. “And I assure you they will all be answered. But please just wait until we move you. Then you can think properly.”

“I can think properly right now,” I said. My voice sounded more quiet and shaky than normal. My mouth was also dry and had the faint taste of iron to it.

The unicorn looked at me carefully. “Maybe, but I’ve dealt with a lot of patients who’ve said the same thing. Then they start talking crazy or try to find a way out of here. So until you’re moved, try to go back to sleep. You’re safe here.”

“And where exactly is HERE,” I asked, looking back up at the lights above me.

The mare looked uneasy “You’re in the medical wing of Stalliongrad hospital. Some ponies brought you in here a few hours ago, saying you’d been shot.”

“Yeah,” I said, feeling the bandages that covered my chest. “I remember that.”

“Well at least your memories are okay,” she said, trying to put on an amused smile.

It wasn’t amusing for me, not one bit. The pain, the bone crushing, tear jerking pain. I had never felt anything like that before, and then I got hit in the head. If the Overstallion had felt that when I hit him, then I was starting to regret doing it.

I wanted to ask more questions, but was interrupted by three stallions entering the room. Two had on barding and had a gun holster, loaded, attached to their forelegs. The third wore metal plates around his body and legs. His face remained uncovered, and he looked grimly at me.

“Well it seems you’ve finally woken up. Guess that means it’s time to take you to the recovery bay.” He turned to the two stallions behind him. “You two, take him there now. Cuddles will escort you,” he said before walking out of the room.

“Yes sir,” said the two. They walked over to my table, with Cuddles standing on the other side.

“Alright, this will be simple. I’ll lift him up with my magic and place him on the gurney. You two will walk the gurney to the room three doors down on the right. Please be careful with him,” she said.

“Right, we got it. Let’s just get this colt were he needs to go. I’ve got to get back to my shift,” said one of the guards huffily.

The other rolled another table over to mine. But this one had soft padding along it and rails on the side. Wheels poked out of the legs, and the whole thing seemed light weight.”

“Okay, I’m going to lift you up now. Please don’t move or say anything while I do,” said Cuddles. Her horn glowed and I was soon covered in red pulsating magic. I felt myself lift of the table and slowly get placed down on the gurney.

Cuddles smiled “See, that wasn’t so bad. Now you two, we need to take him to the recovery wing. Follow me,” she said. And she strolled out of the room with the two following behind her.

The hallway was fairly large and not very crowded. The paint was peeling off the walls in chunks. Old posters, long since faded, were still mostly intact. One or two benches, made from scraps of wood, were positioned near different doors.

Soon we left the hallway and moved into another room. This one was much larger than the other room. Beds lined either side, leaving the middle as a place to move. Most of the beds were empty, but some held either a sleeping pony or one reading a book. Some of those who were reading a book looked up and waved at me when I passed. I wished I had enough energy to wave back.

“Alright,” said Cuddles, stopping next to a bed at the back. A rather large window sat to the left side, while a small nightstand took the other side. “Place the gurney over here.”

The guards pushed me over till I was horizontal with the bed. “Now I’m going to lift you up again. Please try not to….”

“Can you just get it over with,” asked one of the guards. I could feel the anger radiating from his body.

Cuddles looked hurt, but she stayed quiet while she lifted me into the bed with her magic. “Good, now let’s go,” said the guards. They look the gurney and quickly walked to the door.

“Oh, I really hate those two.” Cuddles glared at the two as they left, but then turned to look at me. “Now, how do you feel? Are you comfortable?”

I shifted a little, trying to regain feeling in my body. “Yeah, I’m comfortable. Now can I start asking questions?”

Cuddles giggled a little, before bringing a chair over and sitting in it. “You sure are eager, I’ll give you that. And yes, I’ll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.

“Okay….so what happened to me?”

“Well, you were shot at by some of our border guards. When they brought you in, you were bleeding from your chest and flanks. I worked as best I could to get the bullets out of you, but they were pretty far in there. I didn’t think you were going to make it,” she said.

I saw her brows dip lower than before. The scrunch in her eyelids made them droopier. In some way, I felt sorry for her. I thought she looked hurt. Her face reminded me of Zest's just before I scrammed.

“Glad I did,” I said, keeping my eyes on the wall ahead of me. I didn’t want to look her in the face, less my emotions start to show. I felt the bandages around me again, before noticing that I wasn’t wearing my Stable jumpsuit. In fact, I just realized then that everything I had was gone.

“What happened to my supplies,” I asked, maybe with a little more force than intended.

Cuddles gently patted her ponytail, looking more nervous than before. “I think they confiscated them when they brought you in. Guns aren’t allowed in the walls unless you’re a guard. And it would have been hard to operate on you if you had on any garments, so they took those off to.”

I raised an eyebrow, “And where would my stuff be now?” As much as I wanted to forget that place, I was feeling more naked than ever without my jumpsuit. It had always felt snug and warming to me, even when I came outside.

“They’re either be in the storage warehouse, or in Mayor Drops office. They really don’t tell me where everything goes when they bring ponies in,” said Cuddles.

I groaned, thinking of all the things they could be doing to my gear. “And how long,” I asked questionably “before I can go get it all back?”

Cuddles shook her head. “You can’t walk for at least another day. And I don’t feel comfortable letting you leave for at least three days. I take care of ponies here, and I don’t want you to go out there until you’re fully healed.”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong; that I could go out now and feel fine. But my body was killing me, and I needed these wounds to heal. Feeling defeated, I slumped back into the bed.

“Fine, I’ll wait. But I won’t be happy about it,” I said crossly.

“I can deal with that,” said Cuddles. She used her magic to float a bottle of liquid over to me. “Drink this; it’ll help your wounds and make you fall asleep faster.”

I grabbed the liquid in my hooves and looked it over. “And how do I know this isn’t poison?”

Her eyes scrunched down and her mouth curved into a smile. “If I wanted to kill you, why would I spend all that time taking those bullets out? I could have done nothing, and you’d have died soon enough.”

“Point taken,” I said, rolling my eyes. I brought the bottle to my mouth and downed the liquid. It had a sugary taste to it, but had the feel of cough syrup.

Cuddles took the bottle from my hooves. “Now just try and get some sleep. I’ll come by and check on you later.” She walked around my bed before disappearing around the curtain.

Sighing, I laid back and looked up at the ceiling. “First day out of the stable. I’ve shot a creature, found a town, and gotten shot myself. Great start to my new life.”

I closed my eyes, and found myself falling asleep not long after.

***

“Flatfoot….Flatfoot, time to wake up buddy.”

I opened my eyes slowly, and saw a pony looking down at me. He was dark brown, with a black mane. He wore stable guard barding and had a gun holster attached to his leg (which was empty). His cutie mark, a guard baton, sat on his flanks.

“DAD,” I screamed, jumping out of bed and giving him a hug. “How was work last night?”

Dad hugged me back, “Oh it was normal. Nothing new….that is until I came across a THIEF!” He said the last word with a little dramatic emphasis.

“Really,” I asked in amazement.

“I sure did.” He carried me to the couch and sat down in the middle. I crawled closer to his face and listened carefully.

“I was down near the armory when I heard the sound of something moving on the other side. When I looked through the window, I saw a pony taking a gun from one of the cases.”

“NO,” I said, not believe what he was saying.

“Oh but he was, and he thought no one could see him. But I wasn’t going to sit around and let him get that gun. So I grabbed my baton and charged into the room. He was so surprised he didn’t even have time to use the gun on me. I charged at him and hit his head on the left side. He went down faster than a falling rock,” said Dad with a smile.

“Alright dad,” I said, jumping up in the air.

“It does sound like a surprising night.” Mom had walked into the room, smiling at the both of us. She gave dad a kiss on the head, before walking over and sitting by me. “All we did was play a game of cards. This little law enforcer won every single time.”

Dad rubbed my head, making my mane go all over the place. “Good job there tyke. You’ll be an expert poker player when you’re older at this rate.”

“CHASER! I don’t want our son to know about this stuff yet. It’ll cloud his mind and send him down the wrong career choice!”

“And what if is cutie-mark is a deck of cards? Then he’ll probably work in the stable’s game lounge,” said Dad with a smug smile.

Mom rolled her eyes. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Then she looked down at me with a smile. “Now, how about some breakfast Flatfoot?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry,” I said, jumping off the couch and running to the kitchen. Mom and Dad, both laughing, followed behind me.

***

I woke with a start, breathing heavily while sweat covered my body. It took me a moment to calm down, and then another to remember where I was. Everything came back again: leaving the stable, traveling to Stalliongrad, getting shot, the hospital. It seemed like a bad dream, but from the sight of the bleak ceiling above, it was real. I sat up slowly and looked around the room.

The place was empty except for me and three ponies sleeping a few beds down. I checked my bandages again, and saw that they’d been changed. The didn’t have any blood stains on them, and they felt/looked cleaner.

The pain in my chest and flanks had gone down substantially since I’d fallen asleep. It now felt like a minor cut and not a gaping wound. I swung my hooves over the side of the bed and set them on the ground.

“No pain so far,” I said, and I put my front hooves on the ground next. My legs wobbled a little, but I was able to keep myself up. The pain had increased slightly, now feeling like a deep gash. But I ignored it and started walking towards the door.

None of the sleeping ponies woke up when I passed. Although one did start talking about pies and rainbows….weird. “So this is what ponies are like outside the stable,” I asked myself.

I was only a few feet from the door when it opened. Cuddles came in with a tray of food floating above her head. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

“What on earth are you doing out of bed,” she asked while placing the tray on a nearby table. She ran up to me and began pushing me back. “You need more rest. Back into bed.”

“Hey, hey, wait a minute,” I said. I raised my hooves up and gave her a push back. This mare was now starting to get on my nerves.

“Look, I can walk now,” I said, walking in a circle around her for emphasis. “So that means I’m fine. I need to leave and get my supplies.”

Cuddles shook her head angrily. “No, you need to rest. Walking is good, but I said you need to stay for at least another two days. Your wounds won’t heal properly if you don’t rest.”

“I have med-x and healing potions in my saddlebags. If I can go get them, I’ll be fine. You can’t just make me stay here like a prisoner.”

The more time I stayed here, the more time Stable 11 suffered. The Overstallion was probably doing terrible things to the residents, and all because of me. I had to do something, but I couldn’t do that if I was stuck here.

“You’re not a prisoner, you’re my patient. And that means you can’t leave until I say you’re fully healed. Now please go back and rest,” said Cuddles. She didn’t seem like she was demanding it. It felt more like she was begging me to do it.

I wanted to retort, but was stopped by the sight of another pony walking into the room. He was a dark grey unicorn with a blue mane. He wore a white lab coat, and a pair of glasses sat on his nose. He smiled at the both of us as he walked in.

“What seems to be the commotion in here. We don’t want to wake the other patients,” he said happily.

“Too late,” called a pony from one of the beds.

Cuddles turned to the unicorn. “Dr. Remedial, this pony needs to rest, but he refuses to listen to me. I’ve tried to make him see reason, but he keeps insisting that he’s fine. Please help me get him back into bed.”

I looked at the doctor with a vengeful look. “I assure you I’m fine. I can walk on my own and don’t feel much pain anymore. I just need to go and get my supplies.”

Dr. Remedial walked over to me, pulling a stethoscope out of his jacket. He put the two end into his ears and put the other end on my chest. “Do you have any weakness in your legs?”

“Uh...no. My legs feel just fine,” I replied questionably.

“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” he asked while putting the metal bit on my lower chest.

I thought for a moment, getting a good feel of what my body was saying. “I don’t know….a four I guess.”

He put his stethoscope away, before putting his hoof up in front of him. “Last question; how many hooves do you see?”

“One,” I said.

He put his hoof down and smiled at me. “Well it seems this pony is in fine working order. I see no reason for him not to go walking around.”

Cuddles looked flabbergasted at the remark. “But….but sir….”

Dr. Remedial looked back at the mare with a questioning face. “No buts now Cuddles. This pony has the right to leave whenever he wants to. I don’t want you keeping ponies here just because you strike a fancy with them.”

Cuddles tensed up while her cheeks turned bright red. From anger or embarrassment I couldn’t tell, but she stayed like that for a good few seconds. Dr. Remedial looked back at me.

“Do take care of yourself my young friend, and try not to get yourself riddled with bullets again. It can be hazardous to your health,” he said before turning away and walking to check on some of the other ponies.

I had a good feeling about that pony; he seemed nice and knew how to talk to others. Plus he got me out of this place, so I was happy.

I turned back to Cuddles, who was looking sourly down at the ground. Her cheeks were still slightly red, but the color was slowly starting to disappear.

“Well then, I guess, I’ll just go,” I said. Cuddles still looked down at the ground, but she wasn’t scowling anymore. “Uh, thanks for the help Mrs. Cuddles.”

“Miss.”

“What,” I asked.

She looked up at me with a blank expression. “It’s Miss Cuddles; I’m not married. And even then, just call me Cuddles. Everypony here does.”

“Oh, okay then….Cuddles. But like I was saying, thanks for patching me up and, well, saving my life,” I said nervously. I didn’t want to say anything else that would upset her, so I tried to pick my words carefully.

She half smiled at me, which I guessed was a good sign. “No problem; it’s my job anyway. Helping ponies and getting them back up again.”

“Well you certainly do a good job,” I replied “I guess I’ll see you around then.” I started walking towards the door, but found a leg blocking my way. I looked and saw it belonged to Cuddles.

She looked at me nervously, with her cheeks turning red again. “Um….I’m about to give the patients some food. After that I was planning on getting some myself. Since you didn’t eat yet, I wanted to know if you’d like to join me?”

“Oh,” I said. She was asking me to join her for breakfast, and was quite nervous about it. I remembered what Dr. Remedial had said: “Just because you strike a fancy to them.”

Could that mean that Cuddles….no, that probably wasn’t true. I mean, who would fall for someone like me. My mind quickly brought up Zest, but I shoved that out of my head for now. Maybe Cuddles just wanted to make friends, and was too nervous to make any. Now, she was trying to do so.

“I mean, if you’d rather just leave and get your supplies, I’d understand. I wouldn’t want to keep you here any longer than you wanted to,” she said nervously.

I smiled at the mare and gently took her hoof. Her pelt felt soft and clean, which felt great against my dirty hooves. She quickly looked up, her cheeks becoming even more red. Her eyes were shining bright like a polished diamond, and they were staring right at me with anticipation. Now I was starting to get nervous, and my hoped for smile now became a nervous grin.

 “I’d love to join you Miss Cuddles. But to where shall we be getting our meal?” I asked, my smile turning into a smug one as I talked.

“Oh….uh….in the cafeteria. It’s four doors down on the right. You can head down there if you want. I still have to hand out food to the other patients,” she said. She sounded less nervous, but not by much.

I did a slight bow to her, like I’d read about in most romance books. “Very well then, I’ll meet you down there,” I said before rising back up and walking into the hallway.

***

Once I found the cafeteria, I walked in and looked around. The room was about the size of the atrium back in the stable. Long tables were placed around the room, filled with plates and utensils. I spotted the kitchens on the other side, with ponies bustling about carrying pots and pans.

I walked over to there, hoping somepony would see me. I large earth pony was walking by when he looked over at me. He smiled and walked over to the counter. “Hello there, ready to eat some good food?”

I tried my best to smile. “Uh, yeah.”

“Excellent, pass please,” He said with a smile, putting his hoof out towards me. I looked down at it questionably.

“What do you mean pass,” I asked.

Now the stallion was looking at me questionably. But I couldn’t tell if it was because of the pass, or the bandages that covered me. “You know, your food pass. You didn’t lose yours did you?”

“No, I never had a pass. I just got here yesterday,” I said.

The stallion retracted his hoof, now looking at me even more questionably. “You're the pony who got shot outside the walls aren’t you?”

I rolled my eyes; it seemed everypony knew about me. “yeah, that was me.”

“Well I’m sorry to tell you this, but I can’t serve you anything. You have to get a pass before you can get food. It’s how we work here,” he said.

“Seriously?” I asked. I was hungry now, I could already feel my stomach starting to grumble. “Can’t you make an exception for a pour stallion who got shot?”

“No can do,” said the stallion, shaking his head. “Orders are orders. Talk with one of the guards if you want to get one.”

“That won’t be necessary Batter.”

I looked back and saw Cuddles walking up to me. Two slips of paper floated next to her, then over to Batter. “Two passes; one for me and one for my patient.”

Batter looked over the papers, before giving them back to Cuddles. “Alright then, he’s cleared. So,” he said looking at me with a toothy grin, “what do you want?”

“Uh….” I’d never had food outside the stable before. I was used to getting mashed up apples and water for breakfast. I could only imagine what they had to eat out here.

Thankfully Cuddles saw my confusion and stepped in. “We’ll have two bowls of Sugar Apple Bombs. And this time, no spoiled milk,” she said.

Batter laughed a little. “Alright, two bowls coming right up,” he said before disappearing behind a door. He soon came back, balancing a tray with two bowls on his head. Cuddles encased it in her magic and floated it next to us.

“Thanks Batter,” she said before turning and walking towards a table. I followed along behind her.

“No problem Cuddles. You have fun with your coltfriend,” he called out.

Cuddle’s eyes narrowed, and her mouth puckered up as her cheeks turned red once again. She found and table and placed the tray in the middle. I took the side opposite of her and sat down.

Cuddles floated a bowl over to me, before picking up and spoon and digging into her bowl. I looked down at the substance in my own. “So….what do you call this?”

“Sugar Apple Bombs. Best cereal in the wasteland,” said Cuddles through a mouth full of food.

“Is it good?” I asked questionably.

“Just try it.”

Still not sure, I lowered my head and gathered a few pieces in my mouth. “Sweet Celestia….THIS IS GREAT!” I thought.

They were sweet and had the great taste of apples to them. I quickly dug into the rest of it, splashing milk all over my face. When I finished, I looked up at Cuddles. Her eyes were squinted and her mouth hung open a little bit.

“What?” I asked.

She slowly started to smile. “I’ve never seen another pony eat like that. You must really like Sugar Apple Bombs.”

“Hell yeah, that was the best food I’d ever eaten. Am I allowed to get seconds,” I asked hopefully.

“Sorry, but we only get one pass for breakfast. We don’t have that much food with us, so we have to ration it. But don’t worry, we have even better food for lunch,” she said.

“Sweet,” I said. Life in the wasteland may be dangerous, but getting to eat that kind of food was totally worth it.

“So,” said Cuddles, pushing her empty bowl away, “where exactly did you come from. I’ve never met a pony like you before.”

“I came from Stable 11, up north from here,” I said.

Cuddles’ eyes widened with wonder, and she leaned closer to me. “Oh, I’ve never met a stable pony before. What was it like living down there. I hear you have clean water, great food, and nothing dangerous to worry about.”

I rubbed the back of my head, not sure how to tell her. My stable hadn’t been great, but I wanted to spare her the horrors of the truth.

“Well, we did have clean water, and the food wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t say life was perfect though. We had to worry about the piping, electrics, and the occasional radroach,” I said, remembering all the dangers I’ve had to face.

“That doesn’t sound too bad, we have those problems here in Stalliongrad. So what made you want to leave,” she asked, leaning even closer to me.

I thought about what I could say. I couldn’t tell her about the sacrifices, and what I’d done when I got picked. The truth would probably hurt her innocent mind.

“Let’s just say I made somepony mad, mad enough that I decided it would be best if I left.”

“Oh, what’d you do to make him so mad,” she asked.

I was beginning to sweat a little; keeping up the secrecy wasn’t going well. I had to end this soon.

“I….I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s just too painful to bring up,” I said, making my voice sound low to help with the scene.

It paid off, because Cuddles backed away, looking sadly at me. “Oh, I’m sorry. It must have been hard for you to choose to come out here. I mean, you did end up getting shot after all.”

I waved my hoof at the comment. “Hey, I’m alive aren’t I? And it’s thanks to you that I am. Can’t say how much thanks you deserve.”

Cuddles rubbed her ponytail again, which I found surprisingly cute. “It’s just what I do best.”

“So what about you,” I asked “what’s your story?”

She continued rubbing her hair nervously. “I was born out in the wasteland, near the ruins of Manehattan. My parents came across this place a year later, and I’ve lived here ever since.”

“So have you ever gone outside the walls since then,” I asked. She didn’t seem like the kind of pony who would survive outside. But then again, I thought the same thing about myself when I left the stable.

“No, I never go outside. It’s dangerous and there are raiders everywhere,” she said sadly. Her squinted eyes looked down at the table, keeping me from looking at them. “Plus, they said I’m needed here. I help Dr. Remedial when I can, but I think most ponies see me as his assistant.”

“Well I don’t,” I said blatantly. This pony had saved my life, yet others saw her only as a helper. That just wasn’t nice, or fair.

She looked back up at me, her eyes sparkling with glee. A smile formed on her face, making it look even cuter. “Really?”

“Yeah really. You saved me from dying, and did a great job getting those bullets out of me. But I have to ask, did you enjoy removing the bullets from my flank?”

Cuddles put on another sour face, looking away from me. “Shut up.”

“Hey, I’m only joking. I had hoped my sense of humor would still be intact,” I said.

“You didn’t get hit in the brain smart ass,” said Cuddles, who was smiling once again. She opened her mouth to say more, but then a bell rang across the room.

“Shit, time for me to head back to work,” she said, gathering up our dishes. “I’ll see you around Flatfoot. And if you want to get your stuff back, I’d talk to Mayor Drop. He’s probably in his office; it’s in the building at the center of town.”

I watched her give the tray to Batter, then head back to me. She came close and wrapped her legs around me in a hug. “And try not to get into anymore trouble. Not that I wouldn’t mind fixing you up again.”

I chuckled at the thought, before returning the hug. “I’ll try my best.”

Cuddles stepped away, “Good. Well….I’ll see you around.” And with that she turned away and walked out the door. I was left alone in the empty cafeteria.

“Man, I wish ponies were more like her,” I said. “But now I got to go and get my stuff.” So I walked to the door, and headed left down the hallway.

***

Once I’d reached the front door, I walked out into the city of Stalliongrad.

“Sweet Celestia,” I said in amazement.

The city was even larger up close. Skyscrapers, like the ones in books, rose high up into the air. Sidewalks lined the streets, and vendors were set up near some of the intersections. Ponies walked through the streets, or were shopping at the vendors.

I walked down the steps and looked down the street. “Now, which way to the mayor’s office?” I probably should have asked Cuddles that before she left.

I saw a pony walking towards me with his saddlebags full of….something. I waved to him to get his attention. “Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the mayor’s office?”

But the pony didn’t even look at me, and he continued on his way without stopping. “Okay, rude much,” I said. The ponies in the hospital seemed way more friendly.

Another pony came walking down the sidewalk, and this time I stepped in front of them. They tried to move around me, but I kept moving in front of them.

“Sir,” he asked crossly “can you please get out of my way. I have places to be.”

“Well so do I, but I need to know how to get there. Can you please tell me where the mayor’s office is?”

The pony stopped moving and huffed. “Take the road south to the statue. Once you’re there, take the left road and you should come to a large building. His office is inside that.”

“Thanks,” I said happily, and started walking down the road. The pony walked away, muttering things about “ponies these days.”

***

I got to the statue a lot faster than I’d thought. The area was surrounded by black grass and old, crumbling benches. At the center of it all, on a pedestal, sat the statue.

It depicted an earth pony with messy hair, a tie, and an hourglass cutie-mark. There was an inscription under it reading:  “You don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand! You say no! You have the guts to do what’s right, even when everyone else just runs away. -Doctor….” The last part of the name was scratched out, so I couldn’t tell his full name.

I reread the quote a few times, thinking about it’s meaning. “You have to keep going and keep fighting, even when the odds are against you,” I said to myself.

I looked at the statue for another few minutes before I headed down the left street. A few minutes later, I found the building I was looking for.

The outside seemed surprisingly intact, and most of the windows weren’t broken. At the top of the building sat a large clock, and in front stood a small fountain. No water ran through the pipes, but dirty water did fill the basin.

I walked up to the front door and pushed it open. The atrium beyond was rather large, with staircases heading up to the next level on either side. In the middle of the room sat a large desk with terminals and papers all over it. A small unicorn mare sat behind it, reading a book. I walked up to the desk.

“Excuse me, I’d like to speak with Mayor Drop,” I said to the mare. She looked up at me from her book, but then looked back down.

“Name,” she asked.

“Uh, Flatfoot,” I replied.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No,” I said.

She pushed her glasses further up her nose, still looking at the book. “You need to have an appointment to see the mayor. He has an opening tomorrow morning, I can schedule you in there.”

“WHAT, but I just need to get my stuff back. Can’t I just go up without an appointment. I’ll be out super quick,” I said. I really didn’t want to wait another day to retrieve my supplies.

“Rules are rules hon. If you have any gripes, take it up with the guards. Now either accept the appointment or get out of here before I call security,” said the mare, who still wouldn’t look at me.

My anger was rising steadily, but I didn’t want to cause any trouble. “Fine,” I said, then turned around and headed for the door. But before I reached it, I ducked behind an overturned desk.

“Yeah right, no way I’m waiting for tomorrow. Now, let’s see if my sneaking has gotten any better since the stable.” I crept behind the desk, then slowly made my way to the stairs. The secretary didn’t seem to notice me, but that may be because she was engrossed in her book.

I made it to the stairs, and slowly made my way up. I checked back at the secretary, but she still didn’t notice me. Once I reached the top, I crept over to a large set of double doors. The sign next to it said: Mayor’s Office.

I opened the door slightly and slipped inside. The room behind it wasn’t very large. It was half the stable’s atrium, but it was definitely more decorated. Old black and white photos hung along the walls. The carpet was old, but still had color to it.

At the other end of the room sat a large wooden desk. A terminal sat on the right side, and a lamp sat on the other end. Behind the desk sat a very dressed up pony. He wore a top hat, a black jacket, and a monocle on his eye. He was looking down at some papers when I walked in.

“Excuse me,” I said. The pony looked up at me, his eyes half closed and his mouth formed into a frown.

“Who are you?” he asked questionably.

“My name is Flatfoot sir,” I said while I approached the desk. “I was the pony that got shot outside the city.”

The mayor raised an eyebrow. “Oh yes, I remember you. I saw them take you past here towards the hospital. From the way you looked, I thought for sure you were going to die.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that a few times,” I said when I stopped in front of the desk. I could see a small nameplate on the desk reading: Mayor Sweet Drop.

He put his papers aside and put his hooves together, looking at me questionably. “So to what do I owe this visit?”

“That’s the thing sir, I came to get my supplies back. I was told you were the one who had them,” I said.

The mayor looked me over for a minute. “yes, I have your supplies. They were delivered to me while you were being operated on. I must say I was impressed with what you were carrying.”

“Uh, thanks. So, can I have them back now?”

The mayor looked under his desk, then pulled a large bag out from under it. He tossed it to me, “here’s everything we took from you when we brought you in.”

I opened the bag and saw everything I had. My battle-saddle, while covered in blood, still seemed undamaged. My saddle-bags didn’t have any tears, and still had all my medical supplies, cans of food, ammo, and pistol. Even my stable jumpsuit was there. It had a few tears in the front, most likely where the bullets hit.

“Alright, it’s all here. Thanks for this,” I said while I started putting on my jumpsuit. It felt good having it back on again. Even though it didn’t help with the bullets, it made me feel secure.

“Not a problem at all,” said the Mayor, waving a hoof at me. “We wouldn’t want to rob you of supplies that weren’t ours. We’d be no different than the raiders that attacked us.”

I put on my saddlebags and  then started on my battle-saddle. “Well it looks live I’ve gotten everything. Thanks for the help mayor. I’ll just be going now,” I said. I began to walk towards the door, but he mayor wasn’t done.

“Hold it right there Flatfoot, I never said I was done talking to you,” he called out. I stopped walking and turned back to the mayor. His eyes glowed with anger, and the look on his face reminded me of the overstallion.

“What else do you need to talk about,” I asked.

“What we need to discuss is Medical Supplies. Ever since raiders started attacking us, we haven’t been able to send scouts out to get more. And then you came along, making us use even more supplies. We’re dwindling down, and soon we’ll have nothing,” he said, banging his hoof on the desk for emphasis.

“So what does this have to do with me?” This seemed more like there problem than mine.

“It involves you because we had to use some of our most valued supplies to save your life. So, I believe you owe us for that,” he said sternly.

“What, how’s that fair. Your guards shot me, and You were the ones who decided to patch me up. So I don’t think I owe you anything,” I shot back. No pony was going to force me to do something for them, not again.

The mayor got up and walked around the desk. He stood in front of me, and I just noticed how bigger than me he was. “We patched you up because you would have died if we didn’t. What my soldiers did was not right, but we still did it. Now we patched you up, saved your life, and you Still think you don’t owe us?”

I wanted to scream back at him, saying everything he said was right. But his towering figure began to make me nervous. “Not only that,” I thought “he had a whole squadron of guards at his disposal. It’s not looking so good for me.”

Defeated, I breathed heavily. “Alright, I’ll owe you. What do you want?”

The mayor’s sneer became as victorious grin. “I’d thought you’d never ask. What I want you to do is somewhat simple. To the west of here there is an old building that belonged to the Ministry of Peace. They specialized in medicine and magic repair. What I need you to do it go out there and collect as many medical supplies as you can.”

I thought it over for a moment. It didn’t seem too hard, but I knew that most jobs came with a catch, or something they wouldn’t tell you. “Is there anything else I should know about this place?”

The mayor’s grin turned flat, with his eyes narrowing. “I guess I should warn you. The building is said to be the home to some raiders. They aren’t the ones attacking us, but all raiders are dangerous. I’d say take a gun, but it looks like you have that covered,” he said, eyeing my saddle.

“So you want me to go to a building filled with raiders and collect medical supplies?” I asked. This already was sounding like a bad idea.

“Yes, quite simple isn’t it. Collect those supplies, and we’ll all be even here. But I’ll make you an even better deal. Kill all the raiders in the building, and I’ll pay you 400 caps. Sound good,” he asked.

Now I was even more confused. “Caps?”

The mayor rolled his eyes. “Oh right, you’re a stable pony. Well then I’ll be the one to inform you. Bottle Caps are what we use as currency here in the wasteland. Bits are just outdated, and not in strong supply. But bottle caps are everywhere, so we use them instead. Got it?”

This all sounded too stupid to be real, but the look he was giving me told me it was real. “Okay, I’ll take the job.”

“EXCELLENT!” screamed the mayor. “Well then you’d better get going. It’ll take you some time to reach the hub. It should be marked on your map.”

I looked at my PipBuck’s map, and saw another blank box not too far away from Stalliongrad.

“Well,” said the mayor, walking back behind his desk “I’ll see you when you get back Flatfoot. And remember this; if you try and run away, my guards won’t miss the next time you come near here,” he said sternly.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, trying to look confident “Don’t worry sir, I’ll fulfill my promise.” I turned around and started heading towards the door.

“After all, how hard could this be?”

____________________________________________________

Perks Gained:

Lady Killer-

Do 10% more damage to females in combat. Out of combat, you get to use unique dialogue options when talking with the opposite sex.

Sneak-

Become whisper, become shadow. You are 20% harder to detect while sneaking.