Fallout Equestria: Bladesby HauntingSpiritRisingMoonChaptersChapter 1: The End of The BeginningChapter 2: A Dark Day In The ApocalypseChapter 3: War Never Changes, Yet The Wasteland DoesPrologue: A Guide To Finding Your VirtueChapter 1: The End of The BeginningThe End of The Beginning "When your vision is red, your heart becomes stone." I sighed once again as I ate my lunch in the corner of the cafeteria. Yeah. I was that kid, the one with the blank flank even as an 18 year old. In the Stables there were colleges, and he was the most picked on pony in this entire Stable. Stable 78, to be precise. I sighed and looked around. There was nothing in this stupid Stable I hadn't tried. "Crimson...!" And here we go... I sighed. This stupid filly, Peanut Butter, was the one filly in this place who wasn't mean to me- But had other problems. "C'mon, play with me...!" She said, pouting. Peanut Butter was a prodigy. She was years younger than me, but her Cutie Mark of an atom showed her excellent intelligence. "No thank you, Peanut Butter..." "Oh don't be a party pooper!" She tugged on my dark red hoof, trying to get me to play. I refused. "Crimson Gala Apple, do I have to get my big brother!?" I winced. From both my name, and her brother. I couldn't believe my mother, Ambrosia Apple, had given me my grandmother's middle name. My father, Evening Sky, a Unicorn, was lucky enough to not have to worry about that. Her brother, Jelly Sandwich, was one of the roughest and toughest of his bullies, and Peanut Butter used that to her advantage. I sighed and defeat, and allowed her to drag me off as she squealed. My mood turned even darker. "Hey, blank flank!" I groaned. "Jelly Sandwich... Wonderful." He lifted me up in his white magic, the color of the baseball on his flank. "Don't give me attitude, bub! I know what you're like, and you better not be infecting my sis! Next thing I know she's got no Cutie Mark and is chasing after m-" He was cut off as my silver aura clamped his mouth shut. "Don't. Finish. That. Sentence." I growled and glared at him. We were in the facility, out of school. I was on my way home when this bastard showed up. He grinned and snapped through my magic. "Oh, did I strike a nerve there? Something, you wanna tell me, Crimson? Huh?" "Shut your dirty little mouth." I growled with a dangerous tone. He dropped me on the ground. "Ha! I gotta get home to help Dad out. Tomorrow, get ready for a world of hurt." He stalked off, and I didn't have to try too hard to avert my gaze from his flank. Okay, yeah, I think you've guessed it now so there's no need to hide it. I'm 100% gay, but that doesn't mean I like rainbows and go flaunting it around. And today, I was in a pretty bad mood... My thoughts ran wild with Jelly Sandwich getting the punishment he deserved. I opened the door to my home. "Mother, I'm home and I'm in a really bad mood so could you and father please not-" That day... That day changed my life. I never knew who the guy under that hooded mask was. All I remember was the two bodies lying on the floor. I breathed heavily, legs shaking. There was a dripping noise, like water dripping from a pipe. My breathing was ragged. I walked up to the terminal at the Stable door, typing in the code. "Aaaaapleoosa. M-Make sure you have all five As, Crimson..." I stumbled out the door. I stumbled, I shook, peeling the stained PipBuck off of my foreleg. I stumbled into the Wasteland, not knowing where I was, what I had done... Or who I was... Only knowing of my Cutie Mark, a sword slicing open an apple. Author's Note The next chapters will most likely be longer, so think of this as a second prologue. Chapter 2: A Dark Day In The ApocalypseA Dark Day In The Apocalypse "Blade? What an original name..." I was numb. The blade hung in my silver aura, the knife that the masked pony had used when they... They... Let's not dwell on things. I wasn't sure which was colder, me, or the blanket of darkness I remembered faintly as the night sky. There were no stars, nor a moon. The wasteland was cold around me. This was the result of the megaspells? Those evil and horrible magic spells that ruined lives? I kept walking. A weird robot thing kept fluttering around my head, speaking. "Hey, hey, are you even listening to me!?" I didn't speak. If I did, I think I'd cry or fall apart at the seams. "Ugh! I saw you leave the stable, why don't you have a PipBuck? Why aren't you talking to me? Your Cutie Mark has an apple, are you related to the Apples?" I didn't answer, only nodded faintly. "So... You can hear me then, just choose not to speak. What's up with you? That knife looks like you've used it, did you encounter any monsters out here?" That was the final straw. I slashed at the bot with my knife and buckled down, weeping. "W-Woah, sorry.. Watch where you're swinging that thing! Hey, are you okay? Hello...?" I cried. I mourned my parents. I mourned the Stable I had just abandoned. I mourned the fact I was doomed. I mourned until my heart was empty of anything to cry about. "Ya feel better, bud?" "N....No..." I rasped quietly. "Ah, so you can talk. Well, what's your name?" I looked at the knife, stained, still held weakly in my magical grasp. "Bl.... Blade.. Call me Blade..." The bot seemed to sigh. "Well, nice to meet you, Blade." I raised my eyes to it. "And you?" "Just call me Watcher." It responded. "And, in case you're wondering, I'm a sprite bot." "K...." I answered quietly. I began my long trek along the Hell hole where I was, not knowing what would happen or where I was going, Watcher quietly buzzing behind me. A voice shattered the peaceful quiet. "AH! Let me go..! Stop!" My blood ran cold. "No.... No....! NO!" I ran faster than I ever had before, like lightning. I didn't care that Watcher had turned into a music buzzing piece of machinery as soon as the pony called. I didn't care that I was exhausted, physically and mentally. No matter how much I disliked her, she still managed to sneakily worm her way into my heart. "Peanut Butter!" I stopped on a hill. She was in the back of a caravan, looking miserable, a black eye adorning her face. Ponies that looked like they'd rolled in blood and mud pulled it, cackling like witches. They wore strange armor looking clothes. I looked down on them with a cold expression. Before I raised my knife and charged. I crossed the hill in moments, fueled by my rage, and practically flew at the ponies. They turned towards me and started aiming guns at me. Guns! And firing, of course. I gasped in pain as one seared my side, but I jumped over the next volley and landed next to them, slitting the first one's throat in a second. The other one, a mare, fired a shot at me. It scraped my leg and I winced. I limped as fast as I could to cover the five inches and stabbed her in the chest. I was panting. I limped to the back of the caravan. "C-Crimson!?" Peanut Butter whispered in fear backing up. I opened the caravan. A few mares and a stallion ran out. I was left with four things. Two dead ponies, a caravan full of who-knows-what, and a filly with a higher IQ than me. "P.B." P.B. was her nickname. "A-Are you okay!? You don't look good...!" She asked, edging nearer. I gazed at her, in shock, and for some reason, anger. "Seriously!? That's the question you're asking me!? After what I did!? Why did you follow me!?" The soft brown filly averted her diamond gaze down. "I.... I know my brother was mean to you... I know everypony was mean to you.... I w-wanted to know... Why...?" I couldn't say no to that filly. She was so innocent and kind-hearted. "Things happen, P.B." I growled. "I found my parents in a pool of their own blood with their attacker standing over them. I snapped. The end." She looked at me with tearful eyes. "Look through the caravan for anything worthwhile, P.B. I'll be right back, shout if you need help." I walked around to the front and looked at the dead ponies. I shivered at the blood, pictures of my parents flashing in my mind. It was night, so hopefully we had a lower risk of being spotted by more of these bad guys. I peeled off their armor. One of theirs, luckily, just barely fit on me. I analyzed the other set and realized with some extra time and a sharper blade, I might be able to adjust it to fit Peanut Butter. "You... You killed those two ponies, Crimson...?" Crap. "Yes. I had to, or they would've killed me." I gave her one of the guns. "Put this in your saddlebags. I'll tell you if you need to use it." I noticed we had both grabbed a set of saddlebags when we left the Stable. I had given her the one I noticed had caused less recoil on the ponies driving the caravan, knowing she was still a filly, even if she was mature and a Unicorn. Her black-colored magic carefully lifted it and placed it in her own. I sighed to myself. What is wrong with me? I'm giving a gun to a 15 year old! She was shivering, but handed me some bottles with strange looking liquids. "Don't worry, my PipBuck told me they're safe." Of course she'd have a PipBuck. Should've realized it. I drank it and felt my wounds magically heal. "Thanks." I continued trudging along, silent. "Those ponies called themselves 'raiders," P.B. said quietly. "I don't think they're nice ponies." When I looked back her head was so low that her bread-colored mane nearly touched the ground. "Chin up. If something attacks us you don't want to have no visual. As soon as we see a place we can hide I'm going to repair this extra set of armor into something your size. C'mon, let's go." We were quiet for a long time. "Tell me the truth, Butter, why did you really follow me?" She looked away in shame, avoiding my gaze. "Everypony was.... Gone... I couldn't stay there even if I wanted to, I'd go mad from loneliness...." I shook my head. "And you're best idea was to go outside, follow me of all ponies, and get yourself captured by raiders, you called them?" "The raiders part wasn't voluntary..." She spat grouchily. Inside my mind was racing. We had no food, I was having a mini panic attack, we had no water, and we had no idea what was in the Wasteland. I had to do my best not to let that show though. This filly could never survive the wasteland on her own, and I certainly wasn't gonna becoming a sniveling mess in the face of danger. So, we walked through the wasteland. Footnote: Level up! Skill: Flirty-Gay: Interacting with other male characters gives you certain dialogue options. P.B. Inventory: PipBuck Pistol 25 Shots 3 Healing Potions 2 Rad Away Crimson Inventory: Stained Knife Raider Armor Extra Raider Armor Chapter 3: War Never Changes, Yet The Wasteland DoesWar Never Changes, Yet The Wasteland Does "Who gives swords to an 18 year old?" "W-What is that thing!?" P.B. asked as I looked behind the wall. There was a pony-sized, grotesque, and definitely evil, thing. According to P.B.'s PipBuck, we were in the ruins of an old town called... Well, it had no name, but the houses were in two lines, like an equal sign. "I don't fucking know!" I held the knife securely in my magic. "But it sure as Hell isn't friendly!" I tried stabbing the creature with my knife, but it was difficult from far away. Unknown fact about Unicorns, they can't easily levitate things from far away. "Fuck! I'll have to get closer, shoot it!" I jumped around the corner and charged. It turned towards me, yet before it could attack, a knife handle was sticking out of it's forehead. Then it's throat. I looked up and saw that P.B. had picked up the gun, and she looked like she was trying to shoot it, yet she just couldn't. "Why didn't you shoot it?" I asked, adding a stab to the heart for extra effect. "I-I'm sorry, but I couldn't!" She looked shaken. She had the shame to look shamed. I hung my head so my purple mane faced her. I also sighed. "It's fine, P.B.... Whatever. C'mon, I think I see a place over there we can hide." I led her over to a house, looking at the white-maned Pegasus-looking creature in disgust before walking inside. It was dusty. Really dusty. As if no-one had been here in decades. There were pictures on the wall, as well gift boxes littering the floor, some opened, some still sealed. It looked like somepony had been planning a party. I lifted a photo off the wall, blowing away the dust and coughing. The picture showed a blue stallion with another stallion, as well as two mares standing near them. The other stallion was a white-coated earth pony. The mares were a pink Unicorn and a black Pegasus. "Those were my best friends... Cough.... Night Glider, Double Diamond, and Sugar Belle..." I whirled around. In front of me was another one of those monsters, leaning on a cane. He had a curly blue mane and tail, which were misplaced on his grotesque body. I was about to slice him to bits when P.B. stopped me. "Crimson, stop! My PipBuck says he's not hostile!" My knife had stopped inches from his face, and he had the nerve to chuckle! "Ah, so you ponies are from that Stable out west? You poor bastards.." He wheezed. I cocked an eyebrow. "Who the fuck are you? What do you mean?" "I'm Party Favor," He took a notice at my knife, "That blade ain't gonna keep you alive for long... Ah, I've got something for ya!" He reached into an unopened gift box, and what he brought out made me squeal with excitement. "Night always wanted to be a ninja... Cough... Don't ask where I got these, because I honestly don't know..." In his decrepit hooves were two mint condition swords, matching my Cutie Mark. "They're called katanas... I never got to give them to her, cause a bomb fell here..." I immediately grabbed them and jumped around like I was a foal again."OH MY GODDESSES THIS SO AWESOME THESE SWORDS ARE SO COOL!" P.B. was holding back laughter, and failing miserable. "Oh God, I don't think I've seen you this happy since Jelly got an F on his report card!" That soured the mood quickly. I coughed lightly and put down my old knife. "Well, uh.... Now I can fix this armor to fit you..." It was out of my hooves in a flash, Party Favor already working on it. "I got it... Cough... You guys look around for anything that can help you out." We started scavenging the place. I started taking down a few pictures. I found one that was out of place. It showed a very bright pink pony and Party Favor having a, you guessed it, party. For some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away. "You can keep that, I've got plenty of other pictures from that party..." Party wheezed. I nodded thanks before stuffing it in my saddlebags, for reasons I wasn't sure of. While we waited, Peanut Butter found a canteen of slightly radiated water, so we decided we'd have to split it. We were worried about food, but Party Favor spoke up. "It's not the nicest way of livin' but I've heard of ponies out in the Wasteland who kill monsters, not us ghouls, for food." Ghouls. That's what they were. "Are you suggesting... We eat meat!?" "Ew, what is wrong with you!?" P.B. said, sickened. The old stallion cackled. "This is the wasteland, my friends. You have to survive anyway you can." I found myself, sadly, agreeing. Hadn't I just killed two ponies to save one? I nodded. "I'm sorry, P.B." She looked shaken. "I-I...." Party looked at her kindly. "I know, it seems wrong. But everything is wrong in this apocalypse... Ya just gotta live through it... Cough." He gave her the new armor, and it was exactly her size. How in Celestia's name did he know her size? "W-Wow... It fits perfectly," She marveled. Her innocent crystal gaze turned to me. "How do I look?" I rolled my eyes. "Like a thousand bits." Party Favor spoke up. "Actually, you might want to change that to 'a thousand bottle caps'." We looked at him in confusion. "Well, you see, cough, after the war, currency around Equestria has changed to bottle caps, as bits are incredibly rare now." His face turned serious. "Oh, and be wary of bloodwings. They're common around these parts, and have lots of radiation." We nodded. Yet, he had one more gift before we left. He gave us two glass orbs, though I don't think he meant anything sexual by it. "These are memory orbs. Wait until you're in a safe place and then view 'em. That ghoul you slaughtered wasn't the only one..." It seemed painful for him to say that last part. We walked out into the clouded day sky. P.B. was the first to speak. "That ghoul... That ghoul kinda looked Night Glider, didn't it...?" I looked down. "I think it was, Butter. I think it was." The worst part of all of this? I felt... Nothing, over the fact I had killed Party Favor's old friend, even if he was one of the kindest ponies I'd met. What was wrong with me? We walked along for a while, silent as stone. That was when we heard the screeching. "DUCK!" The first bloodwing passed over us easily. "P.B., get out of here!" I slashed at the bloodwings, left and right. I was lucky I was an acrobat. Slice. Slice. Dodge. Slice. Slice. "GAH!" I shouted in pain as a bite landed on his neck. "YOU FUCKER!" I continued slicing. Finally, the rest flew off. "Ha.... Ha...." I panted. And then I collapsed. "CRIMSON!" I woke to find myself staring at a male pony's flank, and thoroughly enjoying. I quickly looked around and found myself in another one of the houses. The stallion I was graciously admiring had a black flank and a red tail, with a medical cross for a Cutie Mark. "Is he going to be alright?" P.B.'s voice asked nearby. "He will." The pony turned around, and I frowned as I lost my view. "As long as he doesn't keep staring at my flank." "CRIMSON!" "Oh would you look at the time!" I shot up, sweating. The doctor was not amused. "I'm flattered, really, but you're not my type. Or gender." He deadpanned. "Ugh.... I'm Doctor Coal." I was confused. "Wait... I thought Party Favor was the only pony here?" He shook his head. "Nope. We just stay inside during the day because of the bloodwings. Which you got bitten by." He turned towards P.B., and I tried to admire his flank more discreetly. "I've been able to get rid of the radiation and poison at the surface of the incision. The rest is still in his blood, yet is seems not to have affected him. It'll be 25 caps." We were silent. "Let me fucking guess, you don't have any caps." We nodded. He sighed. "Ugh.... Alright, well there's a factory around here that used to be run by some of the ponies here, but the robots went rogue and they don't know why. If you go deal with it, it's no charge." "Understood. But can we rest the night first?" I asked, looking out the window. "The light is turning darker." Doctor Coal nodded. "There's an empty house next to this one. Rest up before tomorrow." I nodded, standing up. Yet before we left, I asked one more question. "Are you sure you're not into guys?" I yawned as I awoke. It was peacefully quiet. No... My eyes snapped open. It was eerily quiet. I looked around. Peanut Butter was gone. I was out of that house faster than you can say 'Uh-oh'. I looked and saw an odd sight. P.B. was standing over a... A decapitated bloodwing lay at her hooves. I ran over to her, watching as she shook in horror, mouth agape. "Peanut Butter!? What the fuck did you do!?" Despite her demeanor, her words were eerily calm and quiet. "Crimson... Go back in the house, and look next to your bed." I was confused, but agreed. I found a bowl, with what looked like the remains of a bloodwing's head.I was horrified. "W-What the fuck!?" P.B. spoke behind me. "You did this..." I turned towards her. I could tell she had seen something that could not be unseen. "You grew bat-like wings, flew after a bloodwing, sliced off it's head, and... Ate it..." My eyes widened. I couldn't believe it. But her words confirmed my fears. "You're a threstral, Crimson. You're a bat-pony." Footnote: Level up! Skill Perk: Curse of The Vampony: When in threstral form, you have a 5% higher attack. P.B. Inventory Raider Armor Pistol 25 Shots 4 Healing Potions 3 Rad-Aways Canteen of Water PipBuck Crimson Inventory Night Glider's katanas Raider Armor Party Favor's Picture Prologue: A Guide To Finding Your VirtueEveryone goes through changes in their lives. Physical, emotional... Mental... ... Sorry, got carried away there. You've heard of Littlepip, right? The big shot who saved Equestria? Well, she had to learn her virtue, and so does everypony. But virtues in the wasteland... Are different. Sacrifice... Perseverance... Innocence... Compassion... Hope... You just have to find which one you belong to. But what happens... If you have no virtue? No redeeming qualities? No reason for anypony around you to appreciate or like you? Then you survive. You hunt, you kill, you eat, you drink, and you survive the damned Hell hole you live in.
Chapter 1: The End of The BeginningThe End of The Beginning "When your vision is red, your heart becomes stone." I sighed once again as I ate my lunch in the corner of the cafeteria. Yeah. I was that kid, the one with the blank flank even as an 18 year old. In the Stables there were colleges, and he was the most picked on pony in this entire Stable. Stable 78, to be precise. I sighed and looked around. There was nothing in this stupid Stable I hadn't tried. "Crimson...!" And here we go... I sighed. This stupid filly, Peanut Butter, was the one filly in this place who wasn't mean to me- But had other problems. "C'mon, play with me...!" She said, pouting. Peanut Butter was a prodigy. She was years younger than me, but her Cutie Mark of an atom showed her excellent intelligence. "No thank you, Peanut Butter..." "Oh don't be a party pooper!" She tugged on my dark red hoof, trying to get me to play. I refused. "Crimson Gala Apple, do I have to get my big brother!?" I winced. From both my name, and her brother. I couldn't believe my mother, Ambrosia Apple, had given me my grandmother's middle name. My father, Evening Sky, a Unicorn, was lucky enough to not have to worry about that. Her brother, Jelly Sandwich, was one of the roughest and toughest of his bullies, and Peanut Butter used that to her advantage. I sighed and defeat, and allowed her to drag me off as she squealed. My mood turned even darker. "Hey, blank flank!" I groaned. "Jelly Sandwich... Wonderful." He lifted me up in his white magic, the color of the baseball on his flank. "Don't give me attitude, bub! I know what you're like, and you better not be infecting my sis! Next thing I know she's got no Cutie Mark and is chasing after m-" He was cut off as my silver aura clamped his mouth shut. "Don't. Finish. That. Sentence." I growled and glared at him. We were in the facility, out of school. I was on my way home when this bastard showed up. He grinned and snapped through my magic. "Oh, did I strike a nerve there? Something, you wanna tell me, Crimson? Huh?" "Shut your dirty little mouth." I growled with a dangerous tone. He dropped me on the ground. "Ha! I gotta get home to help Dad out. Tomorrow, get ready for a world of hurt." He stalked off, and I didn't have to try too hard to avert my gaze from his flank. Okay, yeah, I think you've guessed it now so there's no need to hide it. I'm 100% gay, but that doesn't mean I like rainbows and go flaunting it around. And today, I was in a pretty bad mood... My thoughts ran wild with Jelly Sandwich getting the punishment he deserved. I opened the door to my home. "Mother, I'm home and I'm in a really bad mood so could you and father please not-" That day... That day changed my life. I never knew who the guy under that hooded mask was. All I remember was the two bodies lying on the floor. I breathed heavily, legs shaking. There was a dripping noise, like water dripping from a pipe. My breathing was ragged. I walked up to the terminal at the Stable door, typing in the code. "Aaaaapleoosa. M-Make sure you have all five As, Crimson..." I stumbled out the door. I stumbled, I shook, peeling the stained PipBuck off of my foreleg. I stumbled into the Wasteland, not knowing where I was, what I had done... Or who I was... Only knowing of my Cutie Mark, a sword slicing open an apple. Author's Note The next chapters will most likely be longer, so think of this as a second prologue.
Chapter 2: A Dark Day In The ApocalypseA Dark Day In The Apocalypse "Blade? What an original name..." I was numb. The blade hung in my silver aura, the knife that the masked pony had used when they... They... Let's not dwell on things. I wasn't sure which was colder, me, or the blanket of darkness I remembered faintly as the night sky. There were no stars, nor a moon. The wasteland was cold around me. This was the result of the megaspells? Those evil and horrible magic spells that ruined lives? I kept walking. A weird robot thing kept fluttering around my head, speaking. "Hey, hey, are you even listening to me!?" I didn't speak. If I did, I think I'd cry or fall apart at the seams. "Ugh! I saw you leave the stable, why don't you have a PipBuck? Why aren't you talking to me? Your Cutie Mark has an apple, are you related to the Apples?" I didn't answer, only nodded faintly. "So... You can hear me then, just choose not to speak. What's up with you? That knife looks like you've used it, did you encounter any monsters out here?" That was the final straw. I slashed at the bot with my knife and buckled down, weeping. "W-Woah, sorry.. Watch where you're swinging that thing! Hey, are you okay? Hello...?" I cried. I mourned my parents. I mourned the Stable I had just abandoned. I mourned the fact I was doomed. I mourned until my heart was empty of anything to cry about. "Ya feel better, bud?" "N....No..." I rasped quietly. "Ah, so you can talk. Well, what's your name?" I looked at the knife, stained, still held weakly in my magical grasp. "Bl.... Blade.. Call me Blade..." The bot seemed to sigh. "Well, nice to meet you, Blade." I raised my eyes to it. "And you?" "Just call me Watcher." It responded. "And, in case you're wondering, I'm a sprite bot." "K...." I answered quietly. I began my long trek along the Hell hole where I was, not knowing what would happen or where I was going, Watcher quietly buzzing behind me. A voice shattered the peaceful quiet. "AH! Let me go..! Stop!" My blood ran cold. "No.... No....! NO!" I ran faster than I ever had before, like lightning. I didn't care that Watcher had turned into a music buzzing piece of machinery as soon as the pony called. I didn't care that I was exhausted, physically and mentally. No matter how much I disliked her, she still managed to sneakily worm her way into my heart. "Peanut Butter!" I stopped on a hill. She was in the back of a caravan, looking miserable, a black eye adorning her face. Ponies that looked like they'd rolled in blood and mud pulled it, cackling like witches. They wore strange armor looking clothes. I looked down on them with a cold expression. Before I raised my knife and charged. I crossed the hill in moments, fueled by my rage, and practically flew at the ponies. They turned towards me and started aiming guns at me. Guns! And firing, of course. I gasped in pain as one seared my side, but I jumped over the next volley and landed next to them, slitting the first one's throat in a second. The other one, a mare, fired a shot at me. It scraped my leg and I winced. I limped as fast as I could to cover the five inches and stabbed her in the chest. I was panting. I limped to the back of the caravan. "C-Crimson!?" Peanut Butter whispered in fear backing up. I opened the caravan. A few mares and a stallion ran out. I was left with four things. Two dead ponies, a caravan full of who-knows-what, and a filly with a higher IQ than me. "P.B." P.B. was her nickname. "A-Are you okay!? You don't look good...!" She asked, edging nearer. I gazed at her, in shock, and for some reason, anger. "Seriously!? That's the question you're asking me!? After what I did!? Why did you follow me!?" The soft brown filly averted her diamond gaze down. "I.... I know my brother was mean to you... I know everypony was mean to you.... I w-wanted to know... Why...?" I couldn't say no to that filly. She was so innocent and kind-hearted. "Things happen, P.B." I growled. "I found my parents in a pool of their own blood with their attacker standing over them. I snapped. The end." She looked at me with tearful eyes. "Look through the caravan for anything worthwhile, P.B. I'll be right back, shout if you need help." I walked around to the front and looked at the dead ponies. I shivered at the blood, pictures of my parents flashing in my mind. It was night, so hopefully we had a lower risk of being spotted by more of these bad guys. I peeled off their armor. One of theirs, luckily, just barely fit on me. I analyzed the other set and realized with some extra time and a sharper blade, I might be able to adjust it to fit Peanut Butter. "You... You killed those two ponies, Crimson...?" Crap. "Yes. I had to, or they would've killed me." I gave her one of the guns. "Put this in your saddlebags. I'll tell you if you need to use it." I noticed we had both grabbed a set of saddlebags when we left the Stable. I had given her the one I noticed had caused less recoil on the ponies driving the caravan, knowing she was still a filly, even if she was mature and a Unicorn. Her black-colored magic carefully lifted it and placed it in her own. I sighed to myself. What is wrong with me? I'm giving a gun to a 15 year old! She was shivering, but handed me some bottles with strange looking liquids. "Don't worry, my PipBuck told me they're safe." Of course she'd have a PipBuck. Should've realized it. I drank it and felt my wounds magically heal. "Thanks." I continued trudging along, silent. "Those ponies called themselves 'raiders," P.B. said quietly. "I don't think they're nice ponies." When I looked back her head was so low that her bread-colored mane nearly touched the ground. "Chin up. If something attacks us you don't want to have no visual. As soon as we see a place we can hide I'm going to repair this extra set of armor into something your size. C'mon, let's go." We were quiet for a long time. "Tell me the truth, Butter, why did you really follow me?" She looked away in shame, avoiding my gaze. "Everypony was.... Gone... I couldn't stay there even if I wanted to, I'd go mad from loneliness...." I shook my head. "And you're best idea was to go outside, follow me of all ponies, and get yourself captured by raiders, you called them?" "The raiders part wasn't voluntary..." She spat grouchily. Inside my mind was racing. We had no food, I was having a mini panic attack, we had no water, and we had no idea what was in the Wasteland. I had to do my best not to let that show though. This filly could never survive the wasteland on her own, and I certainly wasn't gonna becoming a sniveling mess in the face of danger. So, we walked through the wasteland. Footnote: Level up! Skill: Flirty-Gay: Interacting with other male characters gives you certain dialogue options. P.B. Inventory: PipBuck Pistol 25 Shots 3 Healing Potions 2 Rad Away Crimson Inventory: Stained Knife Raider Armor Extra Raider Armor
Chapter 3: War Never Changes, Yet The Wasteland DoesWar Never Changes, Yet The Wasteland Does "Who gives swords to an 18 year old?" "W-What is that thing!?" P.B. asked as I looked behind the wall. There was a pony-sized, grotesque, and definitely evil, thing. According to P.B.'s PipBuck, we were in the ruins of an old town called... Well, it had no name, but the houses were in two lines, like an equal sign. "I don't fucking know!" I held the knife securely in my magic. "But it sure as Hell isn't friendly!" I tried stabbing the creature with my knife, but it was difficult from far away. Unknown fact about Unicorns, they can't easily levitate things from far away. "Fuck! I'll have to get closer, shoot it!" I jumped around the corner and charged. It turned towards me, yet before it could attack, a knife handle was sticking out of it's forehead. Then it's throat. I looked up and saw that P.B. had picked up the gun, and she looked like she was trying to shoot it, yet she just couldn't. "Why didn't you shoot it?" I asked, adding a stab to the heart for extra effect. "I-I'm sorry, but I couldn't!" She looked shaken. She had the shame to look shamed. I hung my head so my purple mane faced her. I also sighed. "It's fine, P.B.... Whatever. C'mon, I think I see a place over there we can hide." I led her over to a house, looking at the white-maned Pegasus-looking creature in disgust before walking inside. It was dusty. Really dusty. As if no-one had been here in decades. There were pictures on the wall, as well gift boxes littering the floor, some opened, some still sealed. It looked like somepony had been planning a party. I lifted a photo off the wall, blowing away the dust and coughing. The picture showed a blue stallion with another stallion, as well as two mares standing near them. The other stallion was a white-coated earth pony. The mares were a pink Unicorn and a black Pegasus. "Those were my best friends... Cough.... Night Glider, Double Diamond, and Sugar Belle..." I whirled around. In front of me was another one of those monsters, leaning on a cane. He had a curly blue mane and tail, which were misplaced on his grotesque body. I was about to slice him to bits when P.B. stopped me. "Crimson, stop! My PipBuck says he's not hostile!" My knife had stopped inches from his face, and he had the nerve to chuckle! "Ah, so you ponies are from that Stable out west? You poor bastards.." He wheezed. I cocked an eyebrow. "Who the fuck are you? What do you mean?" "I'm Party Favor," He took a notice at my knife, "That blade ain't gonna keep you alive for long... Ah, I've got something for ya!" He reached into an unopened gift box, and what he brought out made me squeal with excitement. "Night always wanted to be a ninja... Cough... Don't ask where I got these, because I honestly don't know..." In his decrepit hooves were two mint condition swords, matching my Cutie Mark. "They're called katanas... I never got to give them to her, cause a bomb fell here..." I immediately grabbed them and jumped around like I was a foal again."OH MY GODDESSES THIS SO AWESOME THESE SWORDS ARE SO COOL!" P.B. was holding back laughter, and failing miserable. "Oh God, I don't think I've seen you this happy since Jelly got an F on his report card!" That soured the mood quickly. I coughed lightly and put down my old knife. "Well, uh.... Now I can fix this armor to fit you..." It was out of my hooves in a flash, Party Favor already working on it. "I got it... Cough... You guys look around for anything that can help you out." We started scavenging the place. I started taking down a few pictures. I found one that was out of place. It showed a very bright pink pony and Party Favor having a, you guessed it, party. For some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away. "You can keep that, I've got plenty of other pictures from that party..." Party wheezed. I nodded thanks before stuffing it in my saddlebags, for reasons I wasn't sure of. While we waited, Peanut Butter found a canteen of slightly radiated water, so we decided we'd have to split it. We were worried about food, but Party Favor spoke up. "It's not the nicest way of livin' but I've heard of ponies out in the Wasteland who kill monsters, not us ghouls, for food." Ghouls. That's what they were. "Are you suggesting... We eat meat!?" "Ew, what is wrong with you!?" P.B. said, sickened. The old stallion cackled. "This is the wasteland, my friends. You have to survive anyway you can." I found myself, sadly, agreeing. Hadn't I just killed two ponies to save one? I nodded. "I'm sorry, P.B." She looked shaken. "I-I...." Party looked at her kindly. "I know, it seems wrong. But everything is wrong in this apocalypse... Ya just gotta live through it... Cough." He gave her the new armor, and it was exactly her size. How in Celestia's name did he know her size? "W-Wow... It fits perfectly," She marveled. Her innocent crystal gaze turned to me. "How do I look?" I rolled my eyes. "Like a thousand bits." Party Favor spoke up. "Actually, you might want to change that to 'a thousand bottle caps'." We looked at him in confusion. "Well, you see, cough, after the war, currency around Equestria has changed to bottle caps, as bits are incredibly rare now." His face turned serious. "Oh, and be wary of bloodwings. They're common around these parts, and have lots of radiation." We nodded. Yet, he had one more gift before we left. He gave us two glass orbs, though I don't think he meant anything sexual by it. "These are memory orbs. Wait until you're in a safe place and then view 'em. That ghoul you slaughtered wasn't the only one..." It seemed painful for him to say that last part. We walked out into the clouded day sky. P.B. was the first to speak. "That ghoul... That ghoul kinda looked Night Glider, didn't it...?" I looked down. "I think it was, Butter. I think it was." The worst part of all of this? I felt... Nothing, over the fact I had killed Party Favor's old friend, even if he was one of the kindest ponies I'd met. What was wrong with me? We walked along for a while, silent as stone. That was when we heard the screeching. "DUCK!" The first bloodwing passed over us easily. "P.B., get out of here!" I slashed at the bloodwings, left and right. I was lucky I was an acrobat. Slice. Slice. Dodge. Slice. Slice. "GAH!" I shouted in pain as a bite landed on his neck. "YOU FUCKER!" I continued slicing. Finally, the rest flew off. "Ha.... Ha...." I panted. And then I collapsed. "CRIMSON!" I woke to find myself staring at a male pony's flank, and thoroughly enjoying. I quickly looked around and found myself in another one of the houses. The stallion I was graciously admiring had a black flank and a red tail, with a medical cross for a Cutie Mark. "Is he going to be alright?" P.B.'s voice asked nearby. "He will." The pony turned around, and I frowned as I lost my view. "As long as he doesn't keep staring at my flank." "CRIMSON!" "Oh would you look at the time!" I shot up, sweating. The doctor was not amused. "I'm flattered, really, but you're not my type. Or gender." He deadpanned. "Ugh.... I'm Doctor Coal." I was confused. "Wait... I thought Party Favor was the only pony here?" He shook his head. "Nope. We just stay inside during the day because of the bloodwings. Which you got bitten by." He turned towards P.B., and I tried to admire his flank more discreetly. "I've been able to get rid of the radiation and poison at the surface of the incision. The rest is still in his blood, yet is seems not to have affected him. It'll be 25 caps." We were silent. "Let me fucking guess, you don't have any caps." We nodded. He sighed. "Ugh.... Alright, well there's a factory around here that used to be run by some of the ponies here, but the robots went rogue and they don't know why. If you go deal with it, it's no charge." "Understood. But can we rest the night first?" I asked, looking out the window. "The light is turning darker." Doctor Coal nodded. "There's an empty house next to this one. Rest up before tomorrow." I nodded, standing up. Yet before we left, I asked one more question. "Are you sure you're not into guys?" I yawned as I awoke. It was peacefully quiet. No... My eyes snapped open. It was eerily quiet. I looked around. Peanut Butter was gone. I was out of that house faster than you can say 'Uh-oh'. I looked and saw an odd sight. P.B. was standing over a... A decapitated bloodwing lay at her hooves. I ran over to her, watching as she shook in horror, mouth agape. "Peanut Butter!? What the fuck did you do!?" Despite her demeanor, her words were eerily calm and quiet. "Crimson... Go back in the house, and look next to your bed." I was confused, but agreed. I found a bowl, with what looked like the remains of a bloodwing's head.I was horrified. "W-What the fuck!?" P.B. spoke behind me. "You did this..." I turned towards her. I could tell she had seen something that could not be unseen. "You grew bat-like wings, flew after a bloodwing, sliced off it's head, and... Ate it..." My eyes widened. I couldn't believe it. But her words confirmed my fears. "You're a threstral, Crimson. You're a bat-pony." Footnote: Level up! Skill Perk: Curse of The Vampony: When in threstral form, you have a 5% higher attack. P.B. Inventory Raider Armor Pistol 25 Shots 4 Healing Potions 3 Rad-Aways Canteen of Water PipBuck Crimson Inventory Night Glider's katanas Raider Armor Party Favor's Picture
Prologue: A Guide To Finding Your VirtueEveryone goes through changes in their lives. Physical, emotional... Mental... ... Sorry, got carried away there. You've heard of Littlepip, right? The big shot who saved Equestria? Well, she had to learn her virtue, and so does everypony. But virtues in the wasteland... Are different. Sacrifice... Perseverance... Innocence... Compassion... Hope... You just have to find which one you belong to. But what happens... If you have no virtue? No redeeming qualities? No reason for anypony around you to appreciate or like you? Then you survive. You hunt, you kill, you eat, you drink, and you survive the damned Hell hole you live in.
