Shimmer nodded firmly as she reset the lock on the safe. Despite quite a few heated arguments, she decided that she didn’t want to depend on the Armor. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it as the others would.

A more significant factor, if Shimmer was being honest, might have been that she only had two and half Spark Batteries to work with. Until they got more she couldn’t just waste them. Zephyr had done the math; it was going to take at least a day to get to the Clinic and they’d need at least two to get there

The decision was made, they would leave in the morning. Settling inside her home, Zephyr took the old bed in what used to be the guest room. Rocket decided to sleep outside in a makeshift hammock she carried in her pack. Shimmer couldn’t help but smile.

She may have just met them, but they seemed like decent ponies.

She slowly moved to the window and looked outside. At one point, she had been able to look up at the stars; now only rolling black clouds filled the sky.

With a quiet sigh she stepped outside and into the night. The air was cool and there was a soft breeze blowing. Her pink mane was swept forward; it surrounded her face, blowing into her eyes.

As she pushed the locks away from her face, Shimmer froze as she caught movement in her eye. She toggled her Eyes-Forward-Sparkle and scanned what little she could see.

A small blip appeared to two ticks away from North. It was green—that meant friendly, right?

Slowly drawing up her pistol, Shimmer began to move towards the blip. It was moving slowly; it was surely either walking, crawling, or slithering.

“Please don’t be something that’s gonna try to kill me,” she muttered under her breath as the green blip grew larger. Before long, it could be seen right on top of her. he raised the weapon, walking forward slowly. Almost as soon as she entered the small gap between houses, a giant mouse scampered into view. She very nearly fired her pistol as it stared up at her, blinking a few times before turning and bolting in the opposite direction.

Shimmer groaned as she put away her pistol, starting to turn. She then screamed as a floating ball with rapidly fluttering wings came into view. She tripped over the same trash barrel that the mouse was crawling through, crashing to the ground.

“I am so sorry!” the round ball called as it floated towards her. “Are you okay?”

“Other than my backside being—wait, you can talk?”
“Shhhhhhhh! Not so loud! I don’t want anypony else to hear me, okay?” the voice hissed from the ball. Shimmer sighed, pushing off of the ground with a groan as she tossed her head and shook the rest of the junk off of her.

“Fine!” she snapped, raising an eyebrow. “So… what are you?”

The voice chuckled through the ball. “Oh, I’m not really here. I’m talking to you through a Sprite-bot.” The small robot moved a bit more into the limited light.

“I only saw one once, at a demonstration from the Ministry of Morale,” Shimmer said as she walked around the small orb, eyeing it up. “So, what do I call you?”

“You can call me Watcher, but—Woah! Wait a second! What do you mean, saw one in a demonstration?” The Sprite-bot itself lurched backwards for a second before resuming its motionlessness.

“Exactly what I said. I saw one at a demonstration,” she said with a shrug, “Pinkie Pie was showing off the new Bot and a few other fancy new gadgets. Including this thing.” Her hoof came up and presented a Pipbuck.

Silence filled the air as she continued to hold her leg up. She blinked, then waving her hoof in front of the panel.

“Hello? Watcher?” She tapped on the screen a few times. “You there?”

“How were you there? It’s impossible. You’re lying to me.” Watcher finally replied.

Shimmer frowned and put her hoof back down. “I’m not lying. I only just woke up a day ago,” she said, “thanks to that damned Stable-Tec.”

The Sprite-bot fluttered forward slightly, “Explain, and make it quick,” Watcher replied forcefully as the Sprite-bot closed the distance once again, hovering only inches from Shimmers face.

Shimmer took a breath and began telling him of her journey. How the Balefire bomb exploded in a giant purple flare. The elevator bringing her down into the Stable, waking up, and her first battles in the Wasteland. How she met Rocket and Zephyr, something that intrigued Watcher more than most of the story.

Though he did ask her to repeat how The Last Day went down. How horribly she treated the Stable-Tec representative who, in the end, probably did more to save her than anypony else. The chaos and panic as ponies scrambled to find shelter. The final words of the news broadcaster and the flash of purple and the giant cloud that formed. Then the strange heat that nearly knocked her off her hooves as her world was destroyed.

The tale took a few minutes and Watcher remained silent for a few more as the Sprite-Bot hovered, stationary. “So you were put in stasis the day the world ended?”

“Yeah. That pretty much explains how I know of the Ministry Mares.” Shimmer replied sheepishly. “It’s not something I would imagine ponies now would know about.”

Watcher sighed as the Sprite-bot turned to face her. “I didn’t know Stable-Tec had a stasis chamber built. They were VERY experimental, even Princess Luna questioned their usefulness. I even think she wanted them destroyed.”

“Well, she didn’t exactly believe that Equestria would lose the war.” Shimmer said. “I worked for Fluttershy and I didn’t think we’d lose, at least not that way. Everything is just...gone now. Is there anypony around that knows how to be good still?”

Before Watcher could reply the Sprite-bot gave a small pop and then began moving off, playing March of the Parasprites as it went. Shimmer frowned, suddenly alone as she shivered. “Well that’s just great.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night passed relatively quickly. Shimmer had gotten a few hours of stolen sleep, the question keeping her up. “How could Watcher know so much about the old days?” The only answers she could come up with were: that he must have studied the history; he somehow had a long lifespan, but there were few creatures that had those; or he somehow could read memories at a distance.

She shook her head again and cleared her head. It was time to get moving and try to help the clinic. Her nerves were on edge as she took a deep breath. The idea of taking on this quest was a big decision. She didn’t want to have anypony get hurt, but pain was inevitable either way. And perhaps clearing out the nearby Raiders and unlocking the sub-basement to the Clinic would go a long way.
Shimmer sighed as she counted out the number of magazines remaining for her pistol, the small weapon barely taking up much room in the pack. She also took count of the very limited medical supplies she had stashed.

Before the Balefire bomb fell, she had kept a small medical case in the basement stocked with three healing potions, a few bags of Radaway, and some basic bandages with antiseptic. She hoped they wouldn’t be needed, but Zephyr had assured her that they might just need them.

Unlike the small one that they had taken out before, the Raider camp they now approached was significantly larger. They had weapons that would do more damage than what Shimmer had faced already, and after half an hour of walking the trio were all somewhat fatigued. If that wasn’t enough, the camp had a wall nearly ten feet high. Short of flying over it, the only way in would be to plant explosives and pray they’d be enough. But thanks to the dead Raider from before, Zephyr managed to put together a kind of improvised brick of dynamite.

Rocket placed her hoof on the door which hung loosely on its hinges. “You ready?” she asked, slowly moving into the room. Shimmer slid the now counted supplies into her pack as she faced Rocket and nodded.

“As ready as I can be.”

“Shimmer?” Rocket stepped up to the counter. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” she asked quietly as she put her hoof on the pistol before Shimmer could reach it.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Shimmer replied. “Even if it’s wrong to kill, those Raiders aren’t going to stop. You know that as well as I do.” She frowned as she pulled the pistol out from under Rocket’s hoof. “I’d prefer not to kill them if it’s possible, but-”

“I know. They’re killers. And as long as they keep killing, no one nearby will be safe. Especially the clinic. It’s just…” Her voice trailed off as she became silent.

“What’s wrong?”

Rocket looked up at her and groaned, “Look, I just don’t want to die for somepony I don’t know.”

Shimmer scoffed, “You seemed perfectly fine almost getting killed trying to protect me from those Raiders in the Stable. Again when I charged down the hill to get back home.”

Rocket blinked and rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay, I guess you got a point. But I got an ally in you, right? I don’t wanna get killed trying to take on even more Raiders.”

Shimmer clicked the pack closed and placed it on her back, securing the small buckle underneath her with her teeth. She shook her mane and freed the trapped pink locks that had gotten caught under the straps. She shrugged a few times as she adjusted to wearing the straps again.

Rocket lowered her hoof and continued, “The more you piss off the Raiders, the more likely they’ll try to attack you again. And there are a LOT in the Wasteland.”

Shimmer began moving past Rocket and towards the door, “I’m not forcing you to go Rocket. I just know that I can’t sit around and let other ponies be hurt when I know I can try to help.” She sighed and turned to face Rocket. “I took an oath once to do as much good as I could. To not only my husband but to Equestria as well. I may have been asleep for two hundred years, but I still want to live by that oath.”

Rocket gave a weak smile as she nodded. “Well, it’s not a good one… but it’s a reason.” She moved forward and quickly rubbed a hoof on her head. “Besides, I guess there’s always the chance of finding more caps.”

Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Remind me again, why are caps so important?”

Rocket looked wounded for a moment, then proceeded to explain, “Well instead of bits, we now use caps. There’s just so many to go around now with all the Sparkle-Cola kicking around the Wasteland.”

“But what about bits?” Shimmer asked as she moved outside the room and into the living area.

“Oh, some ponies still use them, they’re real valuable. But caps are the basic currency item.” She said as she followed Shimmer. “And there’s no crazy amounts involved. A cap is a cap. There’s no special one cap is worth five, kind of deal. The only time that comes up is with bits. And a single bit is worth twenty caps.”

Shimmer shook her head rapidly. “This is going to take some getting used to.” Rocket giggled as they exited the house.

Shimmer raised a hoof over her face as she stepped outside. The clouds that had previously covered the sky were gone. And above them, only bright blue sky and the occasional puff cloud could be seen. Another thing she was going to need to get used to, unpredictable weather. Shimmer lowered her hoof and spotted Zephyr sitting on a nearby fallen tree that blocked off the road.

He was humming a simple tune as he sat there, examining a small blade that he slipped into a sheath on his foreleg. For someone that was nearly blown up just the day before, he looked relatively calm. Still, he looked a state; his dark green coat was littered with small patches of burnt fur and his blue mane was in need of a serious brushing.

He stopped humming as Shimmer and Rocket stepped up onto the tree. “I take it you’re both ready to go?” he asked as he slapped his hat on his head. The brown trilby hat took up most of the space on his head and almost completely covered his ears as he looked at them both.

“Is the bomb ready?” Rocket asked as she nodded towards the crudely duct taped bundle of dynamite resting on the ground.

Zephyr chuckled as he picked up the bundle and placed it in Rocket’s pack. “Yeah. Though if you do somehow manage to plant it, you are DEFINITELY going to want to get away from it quickly once it’s lit.” He pointed a hoof at her pack. “The fuse’s short, should last about twenty seconds. Then—” he raised his hooves above his head in an arcing fashion, “—kaboom!”

Rocket smirked at the display. “Once that bomb goes off, it’s almost a certainty that the Raiders are going to come funneling out of the hole.”

“Right, which is why we’re going to let them come to us first,” Shimmer said as she started moving forward. “No need to rush in there right away. We take out a few coming to see what happened and that already provides us with an opportunity to get in and deal with anypony that remains.”

Zephyr nodded, “I should probably let you know, I’ve heard rumors that there are some captive ponies in the base.”

Rocket snorted, “No big deal really. We get them out once the area is secure.”

Zephyr looked at her and shook his head, “That’d be great, but I wouldn’t put it past the Raiders to use them as cannon fodder. Send them through the hole first, so we’re going to need to be VERY careful at what we’re shooting at.”

Shimmer bit her lip as Rocket laughed. “So newbie here doesn’t shoot anything coming out of the hole then.” Shimmer frowned at Rocket in response, but the latter just smirked.“Sorry honey, but you REALLY suck at shooting ANYTHING.”

Shimmer whined. “I’m a HEALER for Celestia’s sake! I didn’t train to be a killer, I was trained to save lives.”

“Right, which is why we’re going to be relying on you.” Zephyr said, pointing at her Pipbuck as they walked. “You have an E.F.S. , we don’t. You’re going to have to call out targets for us to shoot at. Anything green, we avoid. Anything red, we shoot. And if we accidentally hit someone we’re not supposed to, you can patch them up afterwards. There’s no such thing as promises in combat.”

Rocket raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you were an armor-smith? How do you know so much about combat?”

She had a valid point, Shimmer thought. For someone who was supposed to be avoiding a fight, he certainly knew a lot. She couldn’t blame Rocket for being a bit suspicious of his knowledge. It even puzzled her, but she didn’t want to bring it up. Zephyr quickly dug into his single side pack and pulled out a small book.

“The Wasteland Survival Guide,” Zephyr said through clenched teeth as he held the book out towards Rocket. She took it in her magic and levitated it up to her face. “Go to ‘Chapter 3: Dealing With Raiders, The Do’s and Don’ts!’ and start reading.”

Shimmer couldn’t help but giggle. “Somepony actually wrote a book?” Her head shook in disbelief as she watched Rocket attempt to hold the book in front of her face and walk at the same time. Stumbling over her own hooves as she concentrated more on the book.

“Ditzy Doo had plenty of time to write the book.” Zephyr said with hints of sympathy in his voice. “See, when the megaspells and balefire bombs fell, she didn’t die like everypony else.”

Shimmer’s eye raised up in confusion as she looked forward, the nearby community gate stood still. The gate itself was smashed to pieces, but the tall rock arch stood tall. “That would make her as old as I am.”

“Older,” Zephyr corrected. “See, from what I can see of you, you haven’t aged a day since you were put into that thing. Ditzy however... She lived two hundred years. Saw what Equestria was like before the final day and saw what it became when the radiation settled.”

Shimmer’s confused look only grew as she halted in her tracks, “So how is she still alive? Ponies don’t usually live longer than-”

Rocket groaned as she slammed the book closed and passed it back to Zephyr. “Ditzy Doo is a ghoul.”

“What’s a ghoul?”

Rocket’s hoof smashed into her muzzle as she groaned. “I’m traveling the Wasteland with probably the slowest learning pony in all of Equestria.”

Zephyr chuckled and shook his head, “Maybe we should just brief her on a few ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of the Wasteland?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shimmer’s face was a myriad of different expressions as Zephyr and Rocket explained a few things about the Wasteland. “What the hay happened in the last two hundred years? It’s like someone up-ended the world and said, ‘Nope! Here’s a can of ‘Nope and Despair!’’ for you!” Shimmer said as her face hung downwards, her heart bitter.

Rocket scoffed. “Honey, when the world literally goes ‘boom,’ everything changes for the worst.” She looked up, the Raider Camp not too far away now. The trail of black smoke that rose from the camp getting closer and closer with each step. Something was burning—and it stank!

The three halted on the spot and their pupils shrunk as they slammed down onto their flanks. Rocket raised a hoof to her nose and coughed several times.

“Well...that’s...lovely…”

“Quite.” Zephyr replied. After a series of gags and chokes, he attempted to keep his composure.

Shimmer, on the other hoof, vacated her stomach of all previously eaten items in a bright purple mixture of solid and liquid. “Oh-Blech-Goddess what’s that...blech...smell?!”

Rocket frowned as her mane stood on end as she looked at the purple gift Shimmer gave. “That’s so goddamn nasty...who vomits purple!?” Shimmer frowned and looked wounded. “I mean, of all the colors? Purple?!” Rocket shook her head rapidly as she attempted to keep the contents of her own stomach inside.

Zephyr closed his eyes tightly as he brought his hat down on top of his muzzle and took several long breaths through the fabric. The smell in the air was simply putrid. Even the plant life seemed to reach in directions that were away from the source. The black smoke billowed upwards and outwards towards them as something new was added to the fuel.

“We're definitely putting that out when we get there!” Shimmer said, stamping a hoof on the ground. The expression she wore was one of disgust and concern; there were few things that smelled that badly when burned.

“The camp is just on the other side of that tree line.” Zephyr commented through his hat and pointing with his hoof. “So we best try to get a good look before going in all guns blazing.” He turned his hoof and pointed at Shimmer, “You're the smallest and are quietest on your hooves; you're going to have to get as close as you can, plant the bomb, and tell us what you see. Can you do it?”

Shimmer replied with silence as she looked horrified. “You’re cah-razy! I can’t do it! I don’t know how! I’ll screw it up somehow, I know-!”

Rocket’s hoof slapped hard against her muzzle once again, “Be quiet! You’re gonna get us killed!” She slowly lowered her hoof and groaned, “Of all the ponies...look you’re gonna have to! I’m carrying all the guns. You’re small. You’re smart. And of all of us, you’re the only one wearing some kind of barding that will keep radiation away.”

Zephyr nodded as he pointed at the camp. “Raiders typically soak up a lot of radiation and get addicted to Rad-X and drink Radaway if it was Sparkle-Cola. Your Pipbuck will tell you if you’ve taken in any radiation.” he said, pointing now at her left hoof.

Shimmer raised both an eyebrow and her hoof. “How?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but that little needle and display will show you. Green is good, yellow you might want to find some Radaway, Red you’re closing on death.” Zephyr said as he pointed to each different section of the small display. “If you’re in the Red, Radaway is a good patch, but you will NEED to find a Doctor. Luna knows what you’ll mutate into if you stay that high in radiation count.”

Shimmer’s head snapped up with panic on her face. “Mutate?”

“Another topic for another time. We need to focus on the camp.” Zephyr said as he placed both hooves on Shimmer’s shoulders. “I know you’re scared, but this is what you wanted to do. We’re here to help, but we can’t unless you do this Shimmer.”

Shimmer looked horrified as she looked past him at the trees. The smoke climbing even higher. The smell reaching out in length as high as the smoke was rising. Her gaze lowered to meet his, a face of determination mixed with fear. Her gaze shifted once again to Rocket who smiled weakly. She didn’t want to be killed, but she wouldn’t run away either.

She sighed loudly as she shook her head, “I must be going crazy.”

Rocket placed a hoof on her shoulder, “Honey, we’re all crazy.” A sideways smile curled up on her face as she crossed her eyes and used her other hoof to draw small circles next to her head. Her companions both smiled nervously and chuckled.

Shimmer breathed in deeply as she pushed to her hooves, then letting the air loose. “Let’s do this. Ponies are counting on us.”

“Even though they totally don’t even know us and want our help?” Rocket added with a smirk. It was replaced rather quickly as Zephyr’s hoof gently made contact with the back of her head. “I mean, yeah! Totally! Let’s do this!”

Zephyr shook his head a few times as he lifted the makeshift dynamite bomb into Shimmer’s bag. “There’s a thirty second delay. You have two options, set the bomb and run or come back and get us. Either way, when that thing goes off, we won’t have much time.”

Shimmer looked back at the treeline. “Just keep an eye on me. When I’m at the wall I’ll point where there’s the most Raiders. If they’re as stupid as you say, they’ll all come running for where the bomb goes off. When they do, I want you to keep them busy. I’m going to try to go through the front gate, then I’ll meet you in the center. We can free anyone taken prisoner. Sound good?”

After a moment of silence, Zephyr was the first to speak. “How the hell did you come up with that idea?”

“My husband was in the army, he taught me a trick or two,” Shimmer said as she sighed. “Plus a few lucky games of Chess and Risk can make you think outside the box. You don’t just throw everyone you have down the center.” She spread her hooves wide. “Divide,” she said, then snapped them both back together quickly, “and Conquer. Simple idea, usually works, unless you’re fighting someone who’s just as smart. Just keep an eye out and be ready to move when the wall goes up.”

With a brief nod from both Zephyr and Rocket, Shimmer turned on her hooves and galloped towards the treeline. With each step the smell grew worse and worse. What she hadn’t told them was that she knew exactly what that smell was. Either the Raiders had stumbled upon a morgue, or they were simply burning ponies.

The treeline wasn’t thick and as she neared the opposite end she froze in her tracks. The camp was larger than she expected. Old carts and chunks of houses were haphazardly stacked on one another. A massive improvised wall was the first thing she spotted. Her eyes tracked to the left; nothing but open field and more wall. She then brought them to the right and there it was, the main gate. Giant poles stuck out from the ground with—Shimmer’s eyes grew wide as she gagged—severed pony heads impaled through the top.

The heads had their tongues hanging loosely from their mouths and their eyes rolled back. In some fresher specimens, blood still dribbled out of the savagely cut points in their necks.

Shimmer forced back the sensation of vomiting once more and instead channeled it into rage against the Raiders. The guards at the front of the gate weren’t even paying attention as they wrestled across the ground, kicking dirt and mud everywhere.

Shimmer used the moment to quietly cross the distance between the treeline and the small open field. She skidded to a halt as she got to the wall, the lower section was covered in large railway line metal that were sharpened to points. She exhaled hard as she knelt close to the ground. She unclipped her pack and opened it with her hooves, withdrawing the bundle of dynamite.

Using her teeth she took the end of the line and unrolled it from the bundle. With a hoof she then smacked it underneath several of the spikes; it landed an inch shy of the actual wall. She quietly put the bag back on and took the end of the fuse wire in her teeth.

Meanwhile, across the field, Rocket and Zephyr watched anxiously as Shimmer slowly moved down the left wall. “Can she do it?” Rocket asked as she slowly took her pistols into her magic, checking them both over.

“She’s afraid. But there’s… something about her… She’s different from the rest of us…”.

Zephyr began to push off the ground as Shimmer reached back and rubbed a hoof on her flank. One of the shorter spikes on the wall had clipped her thigh.

Rocket scoffed. “You mean other than the fact that she’s a Stable-Dweller?” Her magic ceased as she put the pistols down in front of her and she began counting magazines.

Zephyr shook his head as he lowered himself once again. “No. She actually cares. That’s what’s different.” He pointed a hoof and said, “Anypony else would’ve run off. But as soon as we mentioned that ponies were in trouble... See the results for yourself.”

Rocket looked at him with an eyebrow raised before she turned her head and her eyes went wide. Shimmer struck the igniter on the small lighter she had in her bag. Lifting the device with her hooves and teeth she lit the fuse.

“Shit. No turning back now, is there?” Rocket said, leveling her eyes at the small sparking flame. Shimmer bolted in the opposite direction, moving along the wall and around out of view on the opposite side of the camp. She came to a halt as she looked down her right foreleg and took her pistol into her mouth. She closed her eyes and then began to breathe heavily as she counted down in her mind.

“Ten seconds. Ready?” Zephyr asked as he hunched down behind a tree, the knife snapping out of its holster.

“Try to keep up old man, this is gonna be fun!” Rocket returned with a smirk as she aimed her two pistols from outside the tree cover.

“Five, four, three-” Shimmer counted out loud as she closed her eyes tightly. “Two, one.”

With a deafening roar, the bundle of dynamite exploded. The section of wall that it was planted near erupted into an inferno of debris and fire. Two unlucky Raiders were blown to pieces where they stood. The remaining scum began to shout.

Flaming chunks of wood and iron came tumbling down from the skies all across the field, dead grass igniting in small fireballs. Shimmer shook her head as her ears rung from the proximity of the explosion. Zephyr and Rocket stood dumbfounded at the display of pyrotechnic fury as a Raider ran out of the hole, blindly firing in every direction in a stupor of rage.

Rocket grinned as she took aim and fired. Her bullet soared and struck the Raider right between the eyes. His body crumpled as two more emerged from the hole. Zephyr cried out as he used his teeth to send one of his knives soaring. The silver blade flipped through the air until it planted itself firmly inside the chest of one Raider.

“Holy crap! Nice one!” Rocket called out as she watched the Raider fall and tear at his chest with his hooves. “Where’d you learn to do that?!”

“Practice my dear!” Zephyr replied as he readied another knife. Rocket smirked as she fired once again.

Shimmer, however, began circling to the opposite side of the camp. There were no Raiders and no hole and no fire. But this side of the camp smelled even worse than the rest. The wall was also not as complete on this side and she attempted to peer through the cracks. Through the tiny space she could make out a handful of figures but nothing more. They weren’t moving but they weren’t dead either.

Shimmer sighed as she began moving along the wall once again. It didn’t take her too long to traverse the entire length and reach the gate. She craned her neck around the corner and there they were, the two guards. Shimmer closed her eyes as she slowly drew behind wall again. “Okay Shimmer… You can do this. They’re bad ponies, they hurt other ponies…”

She brought the pistol up between her teeth and exhaled hard as she leaped from behind the wall. The Raiders jumped up and began to bring up their own weapons. Shimmer toggled S.A.T.S. and picked four shots; two the head and stomach each. Executing the shots, time slowed as her tongue pulled back on the trigger. The first two bullets completely missed the Raiders and lodged themselves in the wall behind them. The third and fourth, however, met their marks.

The first caught the raider in the mouth and his brains exploded out of the back of his head, splattering on the wall. The second landed right in the other Raider’s stomach. He collapsed and clutched the injury tightly. Shimmer bit her lip as she looked down at him as tears streamed down his face. Pausing for a moment, she then sighed as she knelt down next to him.

“I’m sorry! I really don’t want you to die,” she said quietly as he looked up at her. “Here! Drink this!” She opened her bag and began to withdraw a health potion. The Raider only snarled at her loudly and attempted to bite her face. She screamed and dropped the potion, scrambling away before firing her pistol once again into his body.

She stared in horror as the life disappeared from his eyes. “Dammit! I didn’t want you to die! Why’d you do that?!” she whispered as she pushed to her hooves and began to enter the camp—only to be met with a hailstorm of bullets.

She screamed as she ducked down behind the nearest fire-barrel. She groaned as she slammed against the hot metal. “Dammit! That’s hot!” She screamed as she moved away just slightly.

On the opposite side of the camp, Zephyr upended a health potion. “Goddamn! I thought this was going to be easy!” he cried as he spat the empty bottle out and pressed his back against the wall of the camp.

Rocket laughed as she used her magic to reload her pistols. “I thought you were the one that said life was never easy!”

Zephyr groaned as he turned around and pulled one of his knives from the body of a dead Raider. “Well if I said it, I meant it. Who’s idea was this again?” He asked as another Raider attempted to run out of the hole. As Zephyr prepared stab the Raider the side of his head exploded outward. Zephyr barely had enough time to close his eyes and mouth as brain, blood, and bone covered him.

“Goddesses damn it! I had him!” He spat out loudly as ran a hoof across the side of his face, smearing the red gory mess across his features. “What’d you do that for?!”

Rocket just smirked. “You looked like you could use a bath!”

Zephyr gaped as he pointed his hoof at her. “You… You’re one sick pony, you know that?”

Rocket’s smirk continued to grow. “Sense of humor my friend! Grow one!” she said as she ducked inside the hole. As if using S.A.T.S. herself she planted three shots into the Raider nearest to her. His legs crumpled and he fell in a heap. She took aim at the next one and fired twice, both shots landing true as the Raider’s head exploded in a bloody mess.

Zephyr’s jaw dropped as he moved inside the burning hole. His eyes locked onto the two dead Raiders. “You’re also dangerous.”

Rocket smirked once again. “Is that a bad thing out here?”

Zephyr turned to face her and let a knife fly through the air. Passing less than an inch away from her left ear as it soared. Rocket went wide-eyed as she turned her head. The Raider that had been sneaking up behind her now gurgled, a shiny silver knife stuck out from his throat. A moment later he dropped to the ground, his legs twitching uncontrollably as blood pooled around his neck.

“And you said that I’m dangerous!” .

They turned to move further into the camp and stopped short. Shimmer had made it to the center. Her violet coat was streaked with blood she stood rooted to the spot. Just before her sat a giant pit.

The pit expanded across ten feet and was completely filled with bodies. Lifeless corpses of colts and fillies filled it from edge to edge.

The Raiders were burning children.

Rocket moved across slowly to look down into the pit and closed her eyes. Zephyr also approached as the bodies still burned, black smoke billowing upwards and outwards.

Shimmer didn’t move as her eyes remained locked on the sight. “Why… Why did this happen?” she asked softly as she slowly began to frown. “Why?” Her grimace grew larger. “Why?Why would somepony do this?!” She cried loudly as she drew her pistol and began to charge further into the camp.

“Shimmer! No!” Zephyr shouted as he began to chase her through the camp. “Don’t be a foal, Shimmer!”

Shimmer didn’t hear him as she charged forwards. Tears streaming down her face as she galloped. There were only a few more Raiders left. They stood in front of a shack and roared as she charged forward. Unlike the rest of the ones that charged forwards when the wall exploded, these stayed still, guarding the shack as if it was as precious as gems.

“You bastards!” she screamed through clenched teeth as they began firing. Even without S.A.T.S. time slowed for her as her rage grew. The Raiders opened fire. Bullets filled the air as she continued to gallop towards them. Several shots slammed into her body; if she felt them, she didn’t slow. Her tongue clamped down on the trigger.

The first Raider clutched at his eye as the bullet slammed into it. She pulled the trigger again and the second Raider pressed both hooves against his throat as he spun and collapsed, blood gushing from the injury as the bullet severed an artery. Once again she pulled the trigger; the third Raider collapsed in a pile as a bullet passed through two of his knees.

Rocket stood stunned as she watched. The streaking violet pony smashed into the fourth Raider head on. The two tumbled to the ground as they fought for dominance. But eventually, the rage filled mare won out. With a loud cry of anger she smashed a hoof into his face. Then the other hoof followed. Again and again she repeated this pattern until the Raider’s muzzle was bloodied and teeth were missing from his mouth. Even then, she continued to smash her hooves into his face until finally, under the assault, his skull gave way and cracked.

The body of the Raider went limp as Shimmer continued to cry. Zephyr skidded to a halt behind her and pulled her off the body. “Shimmer! He’s dead!” he cried, holding her tightly. She attempted to push her way out of his grip. “Rocket! Help me!” Zephyr called out as Shimmer brought a hoof to his groin.

Rocket quickly covered the distance and pressed down on Shimmers shoulders, “Shimmer! It’s over!” she screamed as she dug her rear hooves into the ground, propping herself in position, not letting Shimmer move an inch. “They’re all dead! Shimmer!”
Slowly Shimmer stopped kicking and squirming. Though she didn’t stop crying, she buried her face into Zephyr’s chest as she sobbed. Zephyr looked up at Rocket and nodded with sympathetic eyes and she slowly removed her hooves from Shimmer’s body. Zephyr closed his eyes and gently began to rock from side to side, running a hoof through Shimmer’s mane.

“Shhhhhh, it’s okay Shimmer. It’s alright.” He spoke softly as he held her there. “It’s over. They’re all dead.”

Shimmer continued to sob, “Children! They burned children! Why?” she cried as tears covered his chest. Zephyr nodded at Rocket and motioned towards the shack the Raiders were previously guarding.

Rocket nodded and turned on her hooves galloping over towards the shack. She spun onto her front hooves and gave a sharp buck against the doors. Knocking them clean off of the hinges she stepped inside the shack, her horn glowing and illuminating the room.

Cowering in the corners of the shack were several small families of ponies. Some were dressed in basic barding, caravan ponies, and foals sat huddled together. Many of them crying. A few were so starved that their bones showed through their skin.

“If you can move, everyone out. The Raiders are dead.” Rocket said as she moved to the different groups. Helping them to their hooves she began to lead them out of the shack.

Zephyr nodded curtly as he looked up and saw the ponies being led out of the shack. “Shimmer, look,” he said softly as he pointed with a hoof. “You saved them.”

Shimmer slowly lifted her head and looked. Tears still traveled down her face as she looked at the surviving ponies. “How many Zephyr?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “I don’t count, even one life saved is worth it. And you did it,” he said as he helped her to her hooves. “They’re going to need someplace to stay.”

Shimmer brought a hoof to her face and wiped her wet coat. She looked back at him and nodded. “We’ll take them to the clinic and then back to The Grove when they’re ready. It won’t be easy, but they can at least start over.” She turned and began to walk away. Her eyes locked onto the pit and she scowled. She then looked down at the Raider she had beaten to death. In her rage she hadn’t even noticed that she hit him so hard that one eye had literally turned into a puddle of white goo leaking down his face.

She gagged at her own work and unleashed another torrent of purple vomit onto the ground. The stream of purple goo continued for several seconds before she wiped her mouth, panting at the result. As she raised her head she found Rocket standing next to her.

“We saved twenty. There were thirty of them in there, but they’ve been dead for a day now.” Rocket said to her quietly, “Apparently all the mares here were used as breeding stock. If they gave birth to anything but colts… they burned them and used them for food.”

Shimmer closed her eyes and turned her head away from the sight. “And the clinic?” she asked softly, “Will they be able to help these ponies?”

Rocket sighed loudly, “If we can get into the basement and get those supplies? They should.” She paused and shook her head, “If not, not even half of them will last the week. They’ve been treated so badly that their bodies are starting to just give up.”

Shimmer opened her eyes and locked with Rocket’s. “We aren’t going to lose a single one. We’re leaving for the Clinic in ten minutes,” she said firmly as she looked at the pit. “And put that disgusting thing out. We’re not done yet. We’re going to the clinic and we’re going to get those supplies. I swear to you, this isn’t over.”

After a moment, however, Shimmer suddenly began to feel faint. She looked down at her body in confusion. Blood ran down from several small bullet holes. Her eyes momentarily went wide before she fell to her side. The last thing she recalled hearing was the panicked cries of Rocket and Zephyr as she slowly lost consciousness.

Author's Note

Holy smokes! Longest Chapter Yet! Thank you so very much to Kkat for creating the Fallout Equestria universe and allowing us to play in it!

Also BIG HUGS to Aeluna who's put up with my terrible writing and making it so much better! More is in store everypony! Stay tuned and if you've enjoyed this story, please share and like and favorite!