Fallout Equestria: Rebirth

Chapter 5: A Teaching Moment

We reached the waystation a little before dark and made camp. The building had all but fallen down, leaving only two walls standing in a corner. Bricks littered the area, many halfway consumed by the shifting sands. Deuce decided that the corner where the walls met was the most defensible spot and so she began making camp. I found that it was awesome watching Deuce work. She was an expert and it showed that she had set up and taken down camps all of her life. Once she began making the fire however, she slowed and then, with a grunt of aggravation, stopped.

"Wouldn't happen to have a spark spell in that horn of yours would ya?" She asked throwing the small pieces of flint and steel down at our hooves.

"Sorry, I might as well be one of you earth ponies with how much magic I got in me." I answered tapping my horn. "All I can make is a shield and I'm not even completely sure on how to do that."

"You're kiddin' right?" She asked looking at me in confusion. "With a shield like that?"

"What? Lot's of unicorns can make shields right?" I asked, her confusion sparking my own.

"Yep but not like that'un." She said with a nod of her head, "Shield's around these parts are really only good for small caliber's directly, and they don't last long even at that. When it comes to a large caliber you better hope it's a glancin' shot. That pistol Boulder was packing was a .44. Nothing to sneeze at."

I shrugged walking over to the fire-to-be and picking up the flint and steel.

"Besides a shield aint fire. Show me."

A few moments later the fire sparked to life. I couldn't figure it out but Duece finally got it up and burning. She tucked the fire making tools into her barding and started shrugging it off. In the flickering light I saw that her cutie mark was a single playing card with a two at it's top left and bottom right corner. The suite was of diamonds.

"So you are a filly fondler eh?" Duece asked catching my eye before sitting down pointedly. "Sorry, I don't go that way."

I flushed and shook my head.

"Nope, nothing like that." I started explaining, "I was trying to see your cutie mark."

"Mhm." She said unconvinced.

"Least I think I'm not." I said with a chuckle turning my gaze skyward. "Can't remember much but I think there was a stallion in my past."

"Oh yeah? Thought ya couldn't remember anything." She said, and something in her tone made me think that she thought she'd caught me lying.

"They come to me in pieces..." I said sighing suddenly aggravated at her and my own brain. The fire in front of me flickered fighting off the chill of the oncoming night.

"Must be frustrating." She said wistfully and I forgot my indignation.

"It is." I replied starting to take off my barding.

"What do ya think you're doing?" She asked suddenly. "Ya keep your armor on girl. You're taking first watch."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked halfway out of the leather clothing.

"That means that I'm going to sleep and you're going to make sure that nothing comes to try and nibble at us while we sleep, dumbass." She explained laying down by the fire. "Get to it then."

"Hey, wait a minute! Why do I get first shift?" I asked, tired after the day of hiking.

The only thing I got in response was a very loud, very fake, snore.

Rolling my eyes I shrugged back on my armor and sat up against the crumbling wall looking out over the desert that seemed to be bedding down for the night. Opening my saddlebags I took stock. I still had an apple left and a bottle of water. There was also my box of bullets for the 9mm but I was less than eager to use the weapon. I knew it would be necessary but something about a gun just seemed wrong.

If you're going to kill somepony you might as well do it with your own hooves.

I blinked at the thought suddenly feeling slightly sick with myself. I hated to admit it but the thought of snapping someponies neck felt better than putting a bullet in their head. My mind went back to the Blaster that I had executed. Shivering from more than the encroaching cold, I tried to force the thoughts from my mind and return my attention to the duty of watching the wastes.

Nothing moved except when the night breeze disturbed the small dry shrubs that littered the landscape. I started stacking up bricks by the wall out of boredom. I had three stacks of twelve when I heard it. It was the sound of gunshots and screaming. It only lasted a moment before the desert returned to silence but I had locked in on the direction by then.

I looked towards the noise and stood up walking around to the back of the wall and saw something that chilled my bones. A town sat on fire some hundred feet away.

How did we miss this?

I turned to Deuce but she was still sleeping soundly.

Great, just fucking great.

"Hey Deuce?" I called only receiving a light snore as a reply.

I shook my head and decided I might as well get some scouting done. This way we could simply leave in the morning instead of having to waste even more time. I wanted to speak to Rain and the longer it took the more I felt like it wasn't going to happen. I stepped away from camp and stayed low. I didn't know if anypony was around but it I didn't want to take the chance. Walking towards the brightening light coming from the town on fire, I saw buildings caving in on each other and crumpling under the flames. The road beneath my hooves was hot, as if the fire was taking the cool from the night, consuming it. Looking up I saw ponies hanging from street posts, their bodies in different stages of decomposition and smelled even worse than the thick black smoke that curled through the air.

"RedLight." I heard Deuce say from beside me and when I looked, there she stood sleepy eyed. "Kaiser's legion alright."

I was surprised that she wasn't angry at me for leaving but I couldn't say I didn't feel grateful for her presence. Shivering I forced myself to turn and take in the town. A four way stop sat in the road not too far away, a large building sitting on the opposite end, what I assumed to be town hall. The right leg of the intersection curved around through the town and out back into the waste's heading north. The left leg merely stopped at a small general goods store labeled, 'Whiley's'.

The flames were growing higher around us almost blindingly so, I turned to head back but saw Deuce step forward into the growing light.

"Well come on." She muttered darkly, "Let's get this over with."

"Deuce, don't you think we should wait, until morning or at least until the fire dies down?" I asked a deeply uncomfortable feeling sitting in my stomach.

"We're already here. The quicker we get in the quicker we can leave." She mirroring my previous thoughts about coming her alone before pushing forward into the cloud of smoke surrounding the town.

Fearing of losing track of her I rushed forward into the smoke and stopped dead in my tracks. She was already gone.

How did she disappear that quick, I was right behind her!

The sound of the crackling fire enveloped my ears growing louder but it was what I heard along with it that scared me. I heard voices.

"Hello D." A smooth familiar voice muttered from the smoke. "Nice to see you again."

Following the voice I found myself at the base of one of the posts that held the hanging ponies. The glow of the fire lead me to it and if it hadn't been obvious before, it was obvious now that something was seriously wrong. Peering up through the smoke swirling around the top of the post, I coughed the acrid stench from my throat and blinked the tears from my eyes.

"H-hello?" I said, my voice weak.

"Yeah yeah, it's me. Like you care..." The voice said hurt flowing from it like water, the smoke started pushing upwards away from the post, revealing the battered body of a blue stallion with a familiar Bronze saber for a cutie mark. "You've already forgotten me."

"You! How did you get here?" I asked taking a step back as the smoke continued to swirl up and away from the post.

I knew this pony, he was the one that I had talked with about leaving....somewhere....with.....we had saved caps together hadn't we? My brain refused to cough up an answer and for a moment the smoke seemed to thicken before swirling faster around us.

"Oh, you don't know?" He sneered, his voice taking on a nasty edge. "What a pity"

A streak of fear shot through me as the post began burning. I couldn't see the flames but the wood started sparking and splintering. Every crack sounded to my ears like the sound of breaking bones.

"Let me get you down..." I begged suddenly weak at the knees.

"Say my name D." He ordered angrily, the smoke crawling away from his neck as the wood burned upwards singing the coat around his hooves.

I wracked my brain trying to remember but the name was just as much of an enigma as this ponies eyes.

"Please, let me help you." I begged again, feeling tears fall from my eyes, and now it wasn't from the smoke. I wanted to help this stallion, I needed to.

"Say my name!" He ordered again and now I could see his cheeks, deep red stains streamed from where his eyes would be and in that instant I knew that I had to run.

I had to get away! I couldn't see him like this.

Don't move Dawn. You have to be here for him.

I don't want to! It hurts!

Fight it you pathetic piece of shit!

No!

"You don't know it do you?" He said the anger in his voice being replaced with sadness, pulling me away from my internal arguing. "Fine, okay. I'll leave you be then."

And with that, the post burst fully into flames that charred the body to a crisp. Before I closed my eyes from the flash of light I saw his face and crumpled under the weight of seeing. His eyes had been plucked from his skull leaving only two dark holes. His face contorted in rage and pain as the flames took his body.

My tears fell to the pavement below as the smoke around me cleared.

I awoke with a start scattering the last pile of bricks I had been stacking. The clattering of stone on stone woke Deuce who jumped to her feet, her pistol already in her mouth. She grunted a sleepy question of alarm.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and shook my head.

"Sorry," I muttered now even more exhausted than I had been before my sleep.

She blinked the sleep from her eyes and frowned spitting the pistol back into it's holster.

"Ya look like shit." She said.

"I feel like it too." I replied leaning back against the wall.

"Well, get some sleep. Tomorrow we should make it to Red Light." She said putting on her barding and walking over to take my spot.

"Don't feel like sleeping." I said taking her place by the fire.

The night had grown almost uncomfortably cold and the warm spot she had made by the fire was more than welcome.

"Yeah? Well do anyway." She said, "We don't know what we're walking into tomorrow."

I'm pretty sure I do, I thought shivering at the dream.

It's a fucking dream Dawn. Don't be a bitch.

Closing my eyes I felt another tear slide down my cheek. Tonight was going to be hell.

"Hey Deuce." I muttered feeling the claws of sleep dig there sharp points into my mind.

"Yeah Dawn?" I heard her ask.

"I fell asleep." I admitted. "Sorry."

"Yeah, well, you're useless." She said shortly, but I heard the smile in her voice and fell back into a fitful sleep.

The morning came quickly and greeted me with a the smell of smoke. My mind raced back to the town of Red Light and the hellish nightmare that I had found myself in. Jumping to my hooves I looked around wildly expecting to see more grotesque visages of pain and death but instead found Deuce sitting at the fire a pan sitting over it, a spatula in her hooves.

"Ya always wake up like that?" She asked amused.

Forcing myself to calm down I took in the scent of the smoke and smiled at how good it smelled.

"What's that?" I asked choosing to ignore her question.

"Bacon." She said flipping the thin strips of meat in their boiling grease.

I sat down across from her and raised an eyebrow.

"Ponies are supposed to be vegetarian's right?" I asked my mouth watering at the smell.

"Supposed ta be but when you gotta eat to live and eatin's slim, ya do what ya have to." She said with a nod, "This here is gecko bacon. Damn good eatin' as long as ya know just how long to cook it."

"Gecko." I said making a face.

For some reason, I couldn't imagine eating those lizards.

"Eyup." she said nodding, "As long as ya cook it long enough to kill the disease but not so long it's too tough ya got some decent breakfast from those things."

"I'll stick to my apple and water this time." I said shaking my head.

I had almost convinced myself to try but, at the word disease, I decided against it. Things were bad enough in the wasteland and I couldn't imagine laying somewhere spewing sick out of every orifice would be an improvement. Taking the apple from my saddlebags I started eating and the sudden intake of nutrients made me realize how thirsty I was, so I gulped down my last bottle of water and was soon sitting done with my breakfast just as Deuce began hers.

She ate it with exaggerated slowness and when I commented she simply told me to keep my nose out of how she ate her breakfast.

"I didn't question how fast ya at yours." She had said.

After what seemed like hours, though it couldn't have been longer than thirty minutes, Deuce packed up her cooking gear and started stamping out the fire.

"So ya ready?" She asked looking at me where I sat stacking up another three piles of bricks to entertain myself.

"Yeah, but first I have to ask you something." I said standing. "If I asked you to stay here would you?"

"Nope." Was the short of it.

"And why would ya ask a stupid thing like that?" Was the long.

"I just don't know what we're walking into and I don't want to see the only companion I got skewered." I said.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Skewered?" She asked.

"Or shot, or killed or maimed." I continued looking up at the sky.

"Uh huh....so when we leaving?" She asked after a moment.

Facehoofing I shook my head and started down the road.

"Now I guess."

The road to RedLight was a lot longer than the one in my dream. We had to stop several times to circumnavigate one hazard or another. The ant's were the worst of it, giant six legged insects, almost the size of a pony, that spewed fire from there mouths were nothing to take lightly. If Deuce hadn't been there I would have been toast.

Eventually we reached the bottom of a small hill, a sign nearby painted over with the word 'RedLight' in red paint. Beneath the sign hanging on two rusted hooks hung a small wooden plaque depicting a mare bending over, her tail raised, blatantly showing off her marehood. The words above the mare read, 'Closest thing to Obsidian outside the Strip.'

Deuce walked past it without a second glance, I however couldn't help but gawk at the pornography hanging out in broad daylight were any filly or colt could see. That should've been the correct response right? I suddenly felt very strange in my own skin.

"Uh Deuce? What kind of place is this town." I asked blushing.

"A shit one." She answered bluntly, "Ponies here make their living offa flesh, chems or worse."

The information stole the blush from my cheeks and replaced it with a frown.

"They raiders?" I asked unsure if raider's even had towns.

"No. Every pony here lived here of their own free will and wouldn't shoot ya unless ya shot first." She said stopping to turn to look at me. "It's just that the ponies here value money over their own well being. Well at least they did, currently we don't know the status of the residence of the little whore town. Which, if you remember, is why we're here."

The way she said it made me realize that she wanted to keep moving. Nodding, I picked up my pace and stepped into the town of RedLight.

It was surreal, seeing a town for the first time while already knowing what was there. The town was exactly like the one in my dream except without the fire. These fire's had since died away leaving nothing but smoldering remains. Smoke still clung to the air like a wet blanket but it wasn't blinding and didn't bring tears to my eyes so I guessed it was an improvement.

"Yep, Kaiser's Legion was here." Deuce said snapping me out of my shock and pointing up at a dead pony hanging on a lightpost some three ponies high, "This is their handiwork."

Looking up at the female pony I grimaced, bird's had already taken her eyes and her lips leaving a jagged smile of teeth in their absence.

"Who is Kaiser's Legion? Raider's?" I asked recalling the attempted question of the previous day.

"Nope, they're in some ways worse." She said gesturing to the crucifixion. "But in some ways they're....well I don't wanta say better but...."

The uncertainty in her voice made me feel suddenly very weary. She shuffled her hooves in a way that made her look like a filly.

"Well they take care of their own and will take in a pony provided they have some use." She explained, her voice torn between extreme dislike and respect. "Raider's won't do that, they'll just kill ya. Also, Kaiser's Legion will let ya leave if you no longer see eye to eye with em, also something else raider's don't do...but...."

"What?" I asked confused.

"Look, just forget about it and let's get this over with." She snapped suddenly. "Quick look inside the townhall and we're out."

Carefully stepping through the burned out town I noticed two things. One, the townhall seemed to be the only building that wasn't burned to the ground, and two, we weren't alone. A group of ponies in strange armor stood on the steps to the townhall and upon seeing us readied there weapons. However, Deuce didn't ready her weapon and continued moving forward, so I simply stayed on guard and moved forward with her.

"Who goes there?!" One called. "Friend or Foe of Kaiser's?"

"And state your intent honestly or take your place with those hanging around you." Another called.

"Well, here goes." Deuce muttered under her breath before speaking up, "We have heard of the glory of Kaiser and wanted to see it for ourselves. True to Kaiser!"

I blanched staring at my companion.

"Very well, you may approach us further but be warned." The first strangely armored pony said, "Any brandishing of weapons will result in your immediate destruction."

"Well heard and well met." My companion called and the words sounded funny being said with her accent.

"And who is the one that walks in silence behind you?" The Legioneer asked, I noticed that they had not yet lowered their weapons.

"She is a mute." Deuce said pointedly. "My guard. I am a caravaneer from Primrose."

The Legioneer's looked at one another for a moment before the one in lead nodded to another who immediately disappeared inside the townhall.

"A caravaneer you say?" The lead mused, "We have been in need of a traveler such as yourself."

"Uh....what?" Deuce said taking a step backward.

"Our leader will be with you shortly. Please stay where you are and no harm will befall friends to Kaiser's Legion." He said, and with that the two remaining guards took up positions behind us.

Great, good going Deuce, I thought.

Let her struggle with it. Dumbass said I was mute.

My companion looked at me, worry clear on her face, and mouthed the word 'sorry'. I mouthed back 'damn right you are'. After a few moment's the door's opened and the pony who had left previously returned with an unfamiliar pony. Taking a second look I realized that it wasn't a pony but a zebra.

"Your footwork is terrible." My teacher had said knocking me to the ground with two well placed kicks, "You are no fighter."

Trying to learn Fall Caeser Style, my zebra teacher had splattered me every time.

"This is the caravaneer?" His deep voice rumbled gesturing to my companion.

"Yes my Pretoriate." The other said bowing.

"She is a mare." The zebra said with disgust shaking his head. "You expect me to give any task other than birthing to a mare?"

"My apologies my Pretoriate but she is a friend to Kaiser's Legion." The grunt groveled.

The leader turned his attention on my companion before stopping, his gaze falling on me.

"And just who is this?" He asked taking a step forward.

From this distance I could see his weapon of choice. His hooves were covered in metal, welded together to create a full shoe.

"She is my guard." Deuce spoke up. "She is mute."

"I did not speak to you mare." The Pretoriate snapped, "And I suggest that you know your place."

Deuce simply bowed her head in submission. I could see the effort to do so strained every fiber of her being.

The Pretoriate stepped towards me and glared down from his spot a few steps upward.

"I asked who you were." He growled.

I couldn't help but glare back, refusing to speak. It wasn't just about keeping to the stupid plan Deuce had forced on me, it was about pissing this zebra off. I could feel Deuce staring at me but refused to break eye contact with the asshole. A long moment passed the two of us glaring daggers at each other before his face cracked into a smile.

"This mare believes she is on equal footing with a male." He said with a laugh. "The wasteland has corrupted her views. The wasteland has a way of doing that. This town that you now stand in the remains of were corrupted as well. They sold the flesh of their people and the innocence of there children. Do you know why we're here?"

I simply shook my head, hating this zebra.

"We were sent here by the great Kaiser to rid this wasteland of the town of whores. He saw that this town was a cancer on the land and requested it be dealt with swiftly, and so we did. It was easy. The mayor of this town sold it's inhabitants for his own freedom." The Pretoriate said and I felt the disgust that showed so clearly in his muzzle.

He pointed a hoof at the nearest light pole and grimaced.

"And so he was given his freedom from this life for his corruption. What about you mute one? Have you been corrupted by this wasteland?"

The look in his eyes made me want to put my hoof through his face.

"No." I said not being able to stay silent a second longer, and I could hear Deuce groan. "I have not been."

"And yet you stand up to a stallion and speak as if you are on equal ground with one." He chuckled, "Your sex brought about the end of the old world. You are not fit to do more than be a machine to breed colt's."

I couldn't help it. We were surrounded by these Kaiser's Legion and completely outmatched but I was going to be damned if this fucker said one more word. I'd show him just what this 'colt machine' could do. Spinning a bucked him square in the chest. The smile that came to my face was short lived as I looked back to see that he had caught both of my back hooves in his.

"This mare has fire in her heart." He said with a chuckle pushing me away. "Let us see just how much fire she has when she is begging for death."

Looking at one of his lesser's the Pretoriate nodded.

"Damn it Dawn!" Deuce snapped.

I heard the sound of hoofbeats and quickly turned to see the guard rush me. He was however running up stairs which gave me enough time to drop low and buck him in the face. He fell backwards and skidded down the stairs groaning from the broken muzzle. Turning to face the zebra I smirked at him, I couldn't help it, the shocked look on his face demanded it.

"Your stallion just fell to a, what was it again? Machine to breed colts?" I cooed.

The look on his face turned smug as he nodded to the guard beside him who readied a machete in his teeth. Jumping back immediately, I nearly snapped an ankle on the stairs but caught myself before it could do more than twist painfully. I limped back to level ground, and watched the machete wielding Legioneer carefully. He lashed out at me and I stumbled back further.

Just snap his fucking neck Dawn!

He has a machete remember.

Wait for him to swing and buck him in the teeth.

Good idea.

I decided that I would take my own advice, and stepped forward just to jump back. The idiot took the bait and lunged at where I had been only to find that I wasn't there anymore. Bucking him in the teeth as my brain so eloquently put it I heard his teeth snap and the machete flew from his mouth. With another buck the pony went down. I turned back to the Pretoriate with another smile.

Now he looked aggravated.

"Please kill this insolent bitch." He snapped to the two guards and I couldn't help but feel accomplished at forcing him to lose his high and mighty way of talking. However I didn't like being called a bitch so the joy was rather short lived.

The two remaining Legioneer's walked down opposite sides of the steps.

They're trying to surround you.

I know, thanks.

Keeping both of them in my line of sight I backed up and stepped over the unconscious guard behind me.

So what's the plan now?

Uh, hope that one of them make a stupid mistake.

Wait a minute, where's Deuce.

Looking to the place on the steps that Deuce had stood I noticed with some alarm that the mare had vanished. I had been so intent on the zebra that I hadn't even checked on her.

Son-of-a...

Just then the guards lunged towards me having made it to each of my sides.

SHIT!

Jumping backwards I fell sprawling to the pavement my previously twisted ankle letting out a spike of pain in protest. Luckily enough I had just enough time to get free and the two guards pulled up short to keep from ramming into each other head first. I thought a moment about how funny that would have been. Then the guards each pulled a machete and advanced towards me, my humor vanished in an instant.

Shoot them.

Yep.

Scrambling, I quickly pulled my pistol to their immediate horror and slipped into S.A.T.S.

In the enhanced state I noticed that the zebra had completely lost his shit at this point and was fuming angry. Lining up two shots into the chest's of each of the guards I frowned as I pulled the trigger four times. I really hated doing this but there was no way I'd be able to knock both of them out without one of them killing me.

The two guard's dropped from the impact but I noticed, slightly relieved, that their armor had absorbed most of the damage. They may even be able to live. I looked up at the zebra to see him stepping down the stairs in forced calm. Walking over to the guards he pulled them up to their feet.

"You have lost to a mare. You are no longer useful to Kaiser's Legion. End yourselves and retain a shred of dignity." He ordered and after a moment they obeyed.

The two remaining guards slit their own throats with the machete's that had, a moment ago been directed at me to my horror. I couldn't help but yelp and step backwards away from the pooling blood. The zebra looked disgusted but I couldn't tell for which reason. Was it that they had lost to a mare as he so eloquently put it or was it that he had lost to a mare. Looking up at me the disgust deepened.

"You have defeated my guards and as such deserve praise for besting those of Kaiser's Legion." He growled. "I suggest you leave quickly before I change my mind."

"And my friend?" I asked dropping my pistol into my hoof.

"Since she is your employer she will be taken as payment for the loss of my guard." The zebra said with a smile.

Deuce taking my place? That wasn't happening.

"Get fucked!" I snapped. "She's staying with me."

"Do you wish to take her place?" He asked amused. "Truth be told I would much rather have you but the law is clear, you have earned your freedom."

"And just why do you think that you have the right to be making any demands?" I asked. "I have kicked the shit out of your guard and now it's 2 on 1. You don't have a chance."

"I would watch my tongue if I were you, your friend is nowhere to be seen, she will be hunted and captured as payment, besides," The zebra growled, his eyes narrowing. "I am a Pretoriate in Kaiser's legion, you are but a common wastelander. I am more than enough to kill you and your friend."

"You thought the same about your guard." I shot back smirking.

"Would you like to test it little mare?" He asked taking a step forward, his hooves clanking against the asphalt.

I glanced down and couldn't help but imagining those thick metal shoes pummeling me into oblivion. I took a step back and grimaced.

"That's right bitch." He whispered a smile on his stupid striped face. "Stand down and leave with your tail tucked in between your legs."

Dawn, you're afraid of him you know that right?

Yes but he called me a bitch.

Yes but you can't beat him.

Why the hell do I think that?

I lay broken and beaten on a cold steel floor, my teacher looking down at me with a snarl.

"Get up or stay down the rest of your life little one." She snapped.

I was only five....I couldn't win.

I stood up anyway, wobbling on my hooves. The next kick sent me into unconsciousness my chest cracking from the impact.

I put the pistol into my saddlebags and hung my head. Count to ten.

"That's right now turn around and walk away." His voice growled in my head.

"One, two, three." I began trying to calm my heart like my teacher had taught me.

"Did you not hear me? I ordered you to leave with your tail tucked in between your legs." He snapped.

"Four, five, six, seven." I continued trying to ignore him.

I couldn't remember if I had ever bested my teacher but I was about to best this zebra and that would be enough. Besides, this zebra needed to have the shit kicked out of him.

"What are you doing?" He asked hearing my counting. "Leave now."

"Eight, nine, ten." I finished looking up at him my heart now calm.

Stepping towards him I lashed out with my front hooves starting with the basics. Staying low I tried to get him off balance but I only had a moment of surprise before he had gathered himself and was on the defensive.

"You fight as a Legioneer does. Fallen Caesar Style." He mused. "But your form is bad."

Lashing out at my front left hoof, he knocked me onto my face and I had to scramble backwards to keep him from crushing my skull.

"Tell me mare, who taught you to fight like a stallion does." He murmured.

I looked up to see the dent in the asphalt where my head had been a few moment's ago.

"No idea who she was." I said emphasizing the 'she'.

"No wonder your form is lacking." He dismissed it and spun kicking with both of his back hooves.

I barely had enough time to react and brought up my front hooves to block. At the same time I hopped and allowed the force of his kick to send me backwards onto the pavement. It was better than standing my ground and having him break both of my hooves.

"Rising Phoenix style." He said with a smirk. "All evasion and no power."

I barely got back to my feet when he rushed me and swiped my front legs out from under me. Catching me he flipped me over him and sent me flying back towards the stairs. I landed painfully on the bottom stair and let out a cry as I felt my back pop. My legs tingled and I would have worried about the possibility of my back being broken if it wasn't for the zebra rushing me.

Sitting up I readied myself for another assault. The only thing I could do now was hope that I could stall long enough to formulate a plan. I deflected his kicks the best I could, trying to time my movements just right to catch the non metaled part of his legs and push his hooves out of the way.

"The Phoenix cannot defeat the Bull." He grunted landing blow after blow into the stairs on either side of me. "The phoenix may duck and dodge all he wants but eventually the horns of the bull will pierce flesh."

I could feel the tingling in my back legs stopped and flexed them to make sure they were still working.

Yep, still there.

"Well the bull should know something." I said my front legs screaming in pain at the beating. "He's exposed."

Kicking up with my back legs I sent him sprawling back onto the pavement, two hoof prints in his soft underbelly. I stood up and wobbled a moment on my front hooves before running over to him. Striking down at his head I winced as he brought up his hooves to deflect the blow. He kicked up at me with his back legs but I wasn't going to fall into my own trap. I jumped backwards and tried to catch my breath as he got to his hooves.

"I tire of this game." The zebra growled. "I was chosen as a Pretoriate by Kaiser himself I will not be made a fool of."

"Blah blah blah. Are we going to talk or continue?" I chided feeling my front legs wobble from their beating.

I glanced down for a moment and grimaced at the blood pooling there.

"We're going to end this mare." He shot back pulling a long thin blade from his barding.

"Uh...I thought this was a no weapons deal!" I yelped stepping back.

"Mare's do not think." He said with a smile rushing me with the blade.

I backed up as quickly as I could but quickly realized that I couldn't back up forever. Staring at my oncoming death I winced.

Well this sucks.

A shot rang out and the blade in the zebra's teeth shattered, shrapnel flying out behind him, bloodying his cheeks and side.

"Now now, hoeld yer horseshoesh." Deuce's voice called from the doorway of the townhall a rifle in her teeth.

Deja Vu.

Well now she's paid back her debt, I thought with a smile.

I was amazed at how well she could talk around a gun when she needed to.

The zebra turned and saw the high powered rifle, it's crosshair's set on him. I couldn't help but smile at my companion. She was smart and resourceful, however I was slightly confused as to where in the hell she had gotten the rifle. My musing was interrupted when the zebra dropped low and swept my legs out from under me only to swoop upwards and grab me by my throat with his hooves.

Good feelings gone.

It was strange standing on my back legs like this but the zebra seemed comfortable having apparently used this grapple many times before. My mind went back to my teacher trying to remember if there was a way out of this. The metal shoes dug painfully into my throat making me wince and tearing me away from my thoughts.

"A mare will not hold a Kaiser's Pretoriate hostage you stupid pony." He growled. "You will drop your weapon and return to your place, kissing my hooves. Be a good mare and you may even become a bedwife through your slavery."

"Kill him." I managed to gasp from my position, this only warranted a tightening of his hooves around my throat.

Deuce wavered a moment before sighing and dropping the rifle. I could feel the smile stretch out across the zebra's lips where they pressed against the back of my neck. I shivered in disgust at the sticky smear of his blood that stained my mane.

"Very good mare." The zebra growled his grip tightening on my throat.

Black spots appeared in my vision, my eyes rolling up in my head. Gasping for air I pulled at his hooves a moment before going limp looking at my companion.

Deuce if you want to even up the life saving score now's the time to.

It was like she heard me.

Leaping from the stairs Deuce pulled her pistol from her holster and slammed painfully into the pavement in front of the town hall on her belly. I heard the shot and felt the zebra's grip fall away. We both hit the ground, the smell of fresh blood permeating the air. I pushed myself away and turned to look at the now screaming zebra, his back left hoof spurting blood.

Deuce had shot between my legs and severed his back hoof. If I hadn't been trying to breathe the black spot's from my vision, I would have been very impressed.

Scrambling to her feet my companion limped over to the Pretoriate and pressed her pistol into the side of his head. I heard her whisper something to him and his eyes shot wide before she pulled the trigger.

Rolling onto my back I stared up at the cloudy sky and gulped in air for a few minutes. Deuce sat beside me and started cleaning her pistol.

"So...where did....you disappear....to?" I asked between breaths.

"Checked to make sure that there weren't no more of them and picked up that rifle to deal with Stripes over there." She answered nodding to the now dead zebra. "Shoulda known that Whiskey here was all I needed."

"Whiskey?" I asked and she simply held up her pistol in response.

"So...I guess it's back to the outpost?" I asked.

"You're not going to ask?" She questioned looking down the road from Red Light.

I knew exactly what she meant. Now that my life wasn't in danger the questions were starting to form as to how well she knew Kaiser's Legion so well. They killed ponies and hung there bodies up from light posts but they seemed to do so with a purpose. It wasn't killing just to kill, it was killing to send a message. What that message was I hadn't the slightest idea but apparently Deuce did.

"No." I decided shaking my head. "I can't answer all of the questions you have about me so I wouldn't feel right interrogating you about mine."

I saw a look of relief wash over my companions face and with a sigh she nodded.

"Thanks."

After a few moments of catching my breath, Deuce helped me to my hooves and had to catch me when I nearly toppled forward. Now that my life wasn't in danger I was really feeling the beating I had took.

"Got something for that." She said sitting down and pulling out a small bag from her saddlebags. "It's not the best, it'll make your vision blurry for a little while but it should stop the bleeding and help with the bruising."

"Don't care." I groaned sitting beside her and holding out my hooves.

I watched carefully as she sprinkled powder on my hooves. It reminded me of Whix's antidote powder but was tinted slightly orange. Once the bag was empty she rubbed it in and wrapped up both of my hooves in strips that she tore from the bag.

"Is that just something all of you wasteland ponies do?" I asked gesturing to the torn bag.

"Huh?" She asked, looking to the bag with a shrug, "Make's since don't it?"

"Guess so." I nodded as I felt the pain start to ebb away.

As it did my vision did darken as Deuce had warned. Things were slightly fuzzy and I tasted a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Where'd you find this stuff?" I asked shaking my head to try and clear my vision.

It didn't work.

"This group was leaving shortly, they had a few bags of supplies so I commandeered them as I went." She said with a smile. "Should be able to get a pretty bit for what's left by the time we get back to the outpost.

"Rain." I said looking towards the outpost. "We need to get moving."

"Eyup." She said standing and helping me to my hooves again.

"So I guess we're even now?" I asked as she helped me limp out of town.

"Eyup." She said quietly.

"Yep." I muttered as we walked past the sign post labeled 'Red Light'.

Hitting it with my tail I felt a sudden since of relief as the picture of the mare showing her sensitive parts fell face down in the sand.

Good, no colts or fillies needed to see that right?

Sure....

Infamy Gained: Kaiser's Legion- Disliked. (So you beat the shit out of several guards, at least you only killed one, right?)
LVL UP: Iron Hoof- Your gain 5 additional damage when using unarmed weapons.
Quest Perk Gain: Remember Your Training- With the memories of your teacher comes some additional fighting moves, you can now disarm opponents provided your STR stat is higher.

This fanfiction is based on Fallout Equestria by Kkat; a familiarity with the source material may aid your understanding.
You can read Fallout Equestria by Kkat on Equestria Daily
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/04/story-fallout-equestria.html