Chapter 3 - An unknown world

    I didn’t sleep well that first night. Maybe it was the cold ground that made it hard, but in the end it was just the surrounding in general. I didn’t know anything about the wasteland, and that Dread pony expected me to know exactly where I was suppose to take Willow Wisp. Not only that, but I truly never wanted to be out here to begin with. I wanted to go back home, but I knew that that would never be possible.

    There were so many things I didn’t know and so many things that were going through my mind. The first order of business for me was getting Willow Wisp to Manehattan, wherever that was. Without a functioning map on my PipBuck, I would be wandering the world blind with no idea of where to go. However, I wasn’t going to leave Willow Wisp out here alone, or else I would be just as good as Dread. She needed to be brought someplace safe, and this White Light pony was the only pony I could really go to at the moment.

    The second thing was more personal, I wanted to give that Twister pony a piece of my mind. He knew I wasn’t the Bloody Angel but still sold me out as them, and I was in no way okay with that. There was another reason he did it, something about my father that must of made him mad. I want to know why Twister did it and make him pay for it all, most likely with a bullet through the face.

    There were so many things I needed to know, but right now my main task was getting Willow Wisp out of here. She was mysterious, that’s for sure. She managed to survive all that torture, and that was an incredible feat all by itself. I wanted to know more about her, who she was, why she ended up here, but I couldn’t. She couldn’t explain it to me, even if she wanted to because she is mute. It must have been a hard life, not being able to argue against anypony and gettin caught in something you don’t want. I couldn’t imagine what her life had been like up to now.

    As the sun came into view, I got up and looked around. I looked around to see Willow Wisp wasn’t in the little stand that had been or camp for the night. I got up and walked over to my power armor, placing my shotgun and the rifle that I had used yesterday over them as I got in. As I get in, I see Willow Wisp with a shovel she must have found nearby throwing some dirt into a giant hole. She looked over to me and waved, which I had returned. I looked to see that there was some blood on the ground around her, she must have opened up some more wounds doing whatever she was.

    I walked over and watched as she fell down exhausted. The bandages from yesterday were covered in blood. A shake my head at the young pegasus, what was so important that she was risking her wellbeing over it? I look in the hole, which was pretty deep, and saw the body of one of the raiders in it. She was burying them! I guess even they deserve some kind of burial, was this what Willow Wisp did before she came here? I didn’t know.

    “You should get some rest,” I say to her softly “You’re hurting yourself more than necessary right now. I’ll finish this one up for you but we’re leaving after that,”

    Stardust nodded in responce, moving away and falling asleep on the ground. She couldn’t see it through the helmet, but I was looking at her worried. I had nothing wrong with what she was doing, but why was she doing something in such a bad condition? It was like some sort of duty she had to do, something that just made her do this. Was it a responsibility she had before hand? I had so many questions and very little ways to answer them.

    I look at the hole she had dug and then the shovel. Picking up the shovel, I started filling back up the hole she had done, feeling different than how I had the day before. I never really thought about it, but I had just killed ponies. Feral ghouls, radroaches, and things like those didn’t really have hopes and dreams, but ponies do. I felt a big burden filling up the grave, almost unable to believe what I was doing, yet Willow Wisp had done it without any thought. This wasn’t the first time she had done it, but when had she done it before?

    I finished it up before going and grabbing the bag that Dread had left us. I really wish I had some saddlebags right now, but I was going to have to carry it on my mouth. I took the helmet to my power suit off and through it to the side and pick the bag up in my hands. It wouldn’t be able to bring the helmet with me because of this, but leaving these would be a stupid desicion on my part. Lastly I nudge Willow Wisp onto my back, making sure not to wake her up. She must have been doing that all night.

    Before heading off, I turn to the radio on my Pipbuck and turn it on. Traveling meant music, and I wanted some for the journey ahead. After fiddling with it for a few seconds, I manage to turn to a station and listen to the song for a second.

    “I don't want to set the woooorld oooon fiiirrrrrre”

    I turn the radio off, thinking that was a bad idea. It was the only radio station I could get from here and the song gave me a feeling that I had just witnessed a cliche, which I wasn’t going to take part in.

    Turning to the path out of the cliff, I took a sigh before walking towards it. This was it, I was about to go into a world I didn’t even know to a place I might not even find. Everything was changing before my eyes, and these very steps proved it. Every metalic step I heard from my power armor filled me with something I have never felt, determination. The determination to fulfil everything I am setting out to do. To help Willow Wisp, to find out about my father’s past, and to make a pony he affected pay for what he had done to me.

    As I walked out of that cliff, I looked out to a much different Equestria then I had ever imagined. Dead trees, plants, and grass everywhere I looked. Where was I exactly? This didn’t look like anywhere I had read or heard on the radio. I shook the thought from my mind and simply headed straight forward. I had no idea where I was going, but it was the only thing I honestly could do. Just hope and pray to Celestia that I meet so pony willing to help me.

    I look around myself as I walked, there was no road in sight, and despite the time of the year, there was no so on the ground. Was this because of those mega spells all those years ago? Maybe one had been misfired and landed here. Then again, I probably would be dead walking through here so that probably wasn’t true. Besides, the mega spells didn’t affect me, I shouldn’t worry about them.

    After some time, I finally found my way out of where I was and into a open field. Along with a few trees, I noticed a road in the distance with something on it. It was a unicorn, just like me! I sighed as I realized what it was. Maybe they knew the way to Manehattan, or could help Willow Wisp out. Either way I was saved.

    “Hey,” I yelled to the pony at the road. They looked at me as I spoke, watching as I ran at them.

    Thank celestia, I’m saved

    The pony took out a gun as I got closer and I stopped in my tracks. Maybe I was wrong about being saved. I watched as he started walk toward me, his gun grasped in magic probably ready to fire at me. This was perfect, I manage to find a pony and the first thing they do is pull a gun out and point it at me. Perfect, just perfect.

    “Don’t move,” He commanded, “Just tell me who you are and what you want and I may consider sparing your lives,”

    Not taking any chances, I responded. “I’m Dead Hooves, I’m new here in the wasteland. I need to get this pony here to Manehattan fast, she’s hurt and in desperate need care,”

    Slowly the pony lowered his gun, allowing me to get a better look at him. He wore old goggles, probably pre-war, and a dusty jacket with a few old blood stains. His muzzle was covered by a neckwarmer that seemed to be tattered, showing so bullet holes in them. His mane was covered but his tail showed being short and yellow. The gun he held was long with a scope, it was nothing like the my shotgun, obviously built for long range. It had a zebra like paint design. This must have been one of those Zebra rifles dad had told me about.

    “You a stable dweller?” He asked me.

    “What’s a stable?” I asked him. It was probably some sort of pre-war shelter for all I care, nothing I needed to worry about yet again.

    “Your kidding right,” He chuckled. “I thought you said you were knew out here,”

    “I am,” I assured him “I didn't live in a “Stable” or whatever, I lived with my father until a few years ago, and never traveled that far from my house. I was dragged out here by somepony, Twister I believe his name was,”

    The pony once again started laughing, but this time much harder. “I believe you, but you met Twister?” He said laughing his head off by the looks of it “You met Twister, and lived. That’s a first for me,”

    I looked at him with a straight face as he fell to the ground laughing. If I could have, I would have held my hoof to my face in disbelief, but the way my power armor was built kept me from being able to do this. I just looked on, waiting for him to recover from his little fit before he finally spoke again.

    “Sorry,” He apologized. “Just never thought I would see the day someone survived Twister, let alone meet the pony who did, but I believe you. If you don’t know what a Stable is, then you probably don’t know that Manehattan is on the complete side of Equestria, and you're heading away from it,”

    I looked at him scared “What?” I looked shocked. “I thought I was closer to it than that. How long is it to get there?”

    “Calm down,” He said “Listen, I hate to tell you this but if you’re heading to Manehattan then it’s a good fifteen day journey at the least. If she needs medical attention I know someone at a small settlement nearby,”

    “You don’t understand,” I said to him “It wasn’t that I know where Manehattan is, I don’t even know where my house is anymore. I was kidnapped and taken to a raider camp because Twister tried to sell me out as the Bloody Angel,”

    He looked at me unsure, I could tell he didn’t believe me for a second. “You fucking with me? Or were those raiders so dumb they couldn’t tell the difference between a mare and a stallion?”

    “Well, they fell for it,” I replied “He knew I wasn’t the murder because he said something about my father. Something my father did pissed him off, and I want to know what it was,”

    He walked towards me and looked at Willow Wisp, who was one my back. The look in his eyes turned from happiness to discomfort as he saw her. He must have known something about her, or else we wouldn't have acted like that, but what was it? what was it that made him worried?

    “You found this poor slave tied up in that raider camp?”

    I looked at him with rage, his question making me boil. Slave! Was he trying to insult me or Willow? Because if he was he was doing a very good job at it, otherwise I wouldn't have been this angry to begin with. He seemed to noticed this and took a few steps back before talking again.

    “I didn't mean it like that,” He tried to assure me, but I kept a firm gaze. “Did you know she was a slave at all?”

    I looked at him, seeing that I had taken him to harshly. I softened my gaze and looked back at Willow Wisp. I knew that pony had been through a lot, but was that the reason she seemed to listen to me without arguing? Was that the reason she was mute? Did some stupid slavers rip her voice out or something? If that was the case, how did she end up in the raiders camp? Was she in a similar position that I was in? I looked at the unicorn seeing that he was waiting for me to answer him.

    “No,” I answered. “I didn’t, sorry about that,”

    “Apologizing is for foals,” He said, “Out here, there is no reason to apologize for anything, but I’ll take your apology for now and say thank you. This is your first time out here after all,”

    Apologizing is for foals… That's something I wouldn't forget. This pony didn't seem to have any care for what he said, and he certainly didn't seem to regret anything. Then again, considering the gun he had, he probably didn't need to.

    “So why are you out here?” I said, deciding it was my turn to ask him “And how did you know Willow Wisp was a slave?”

    “I’m just a lonely traveler,” He said “Ponies around here call me the Sharpshot, and it's a name I've taken. If you want anything to call me, call me Sharpshot, it’s as simple as that. As for the slave thing, I had some traveling around the Ponyville area not so long ago and ran into some slavers. Took them down pretty easily, but the slaves they had were pretty well beaten. This Willow Wisp here definitely got the worst of it,”

    I look back at Willow Wisp, wondering if it was really true. Was she a slave? That answered part of my question about who she was, but it didn't keep me from wondering how she ended up like that to begin with. To think they were treated that badly, I guess I shouldn't have been all that surprise with a title like “slave” but you think that whoever she was a slave for would take a little better care of her. I mean seriously imagine being a slave and the slaver coming up to you and whipping you not because you did anything, but so you are kept for doing anything.

    “What the hell was Dread going to do with you,” I whispered, not knowing what Dread had planned for this pony. “Well if you know a place we could get medical help I would love it if you showed us the way,”

    Sharpshot sighed heavily before looking at me. “I guess I gotta help you somehow, considering I made such a bad introduction,” He said somewhat angry. “But before we do that, have you done anything to tell Willow Wisp there that she's free? I'm not sure if she knows or not,”

    “She stayed up all last night burying the raiders I had killed,” I explained to Sharpshot “I want her to get some sleep, it doesn’t look she has gotten much in the past few days,”

    Sharpshot let out another sigh and looked at me. “Guess you got a point, if that’s what you want it’s what she wants. Just letting you know, until you tell her she is free to go she’ll do anything you ask her to, even if it’s to kill herself,” He put his weapon around his back and started walking away. “Come on,” He motioned me to his side as we started making our way to wherever it was we were going.

    “So tell me something,” He said curiously “I get that you got captured and everything, but why didn’t you ever think of leaving home. Don't tell me you weren't curious about whatever was out here,”

    “Never really had the opportunity to,” I explain to him “I was born with a paralyzed lower body. The only way I’m able to move is with this power armor, which my dad had modified to help me move,”

    “Hm,” He said quite intrigued at the fact. “I guess that could definitely be a setback, not many ponies like you survive out here in the wasteland with conditions like that. Usually ponies leave them to do or something, you should consider yourself lucky that your father kept you around,”

    I felt kind of angry at the way he was talking about my father. I don't think my dad would ever abandon me, he always told me how much he loved me. I was the only thing he had left, and he alway complimented me about how much I was like my mother, stubborn yet kind with a good eye for killing. We had relied on each other to survive, and I’m surprised I have lasted as long as I have without his guidance. He always told me stories about my mother and him, sometimes I thought he saw me as my mom more than her daughter. I didn't really care, he still loved me, and that was important

    “My father is the sweetest pony I ever knew,” I explain to Sharpshot. “You would think the same thing if you ever knew him,”

    “Yeah, I’m sure,” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, he didn't really believe me. “Let me guess, he told you he was part of some great group that helped keep the wasteland safe. I won't deny the power armor, but usually those kind of things are made up to make foals think of their parents as heroes. I'm telling you, any stories your dad told you probably aren't true,” I opened my mouth to protest but he spoke once again. “Let me guess, you’re going to tell me something like “my father knew the elements of harmony” or “my father saved a town from nuclear devastation”” I Looked at him, somehow he read into exactly where I was going with it all “It’s just a big fucking lie okay? They’ve been dead for more than sixty fucking years and the mega spells hit seventy-five years ago. If you have a problem with it, take it up with father fucking time, not me,”

    I simply looked away in sadness. Not any of the things he said were exactly what my father said, but he had a point. Dad, were all those stories you told me lies? Were they all just to make me love you more? No, I didn’t believe it, I didn’t want to believe my father was a pony like that. He was a good pony, a pony who helped others, a pony who loved his daughter. Anyone who thought otherwise is wrong.

    “Shut your fucking mouth you moron!” I yelled back at him “You don't know a thing about my father,”

    I looked behind me as I saw Willow Wisp move. My yelling had apparently woken her up, and she was looking at me scared. Oh no, that wasn't what I wanted. I never wanted Willow Wisp to hear me talk like that, but she just had. We stopped walking and I look at Willow Wisp, ashamed of how I had just acted. I looked away, unable to believe what I had just done.

    “Sorry you had to hear that,” I apologized, not caring about the fact that Sharpshot was rolling his eyes at me.

    Willow just slide her way across the back of my power armor and hugged me. Sharpshot looked in amazement at the sight. It was clear he had never seen anything like this between a pony and their slave, or a traveling companion as I preferred. He didn’t understand what I had seen her like back at the camp, she was looking a lot worse back then. At least she wasn’t opening up more wounds like she had been.

    “Maybe you shouldn’t set her free,” He said “You two may need each other,”

    I looked at him, still furious “She isn’t my slave,” I tell him “She’s my friend and traveling partner, and we're going to beat that son of a bitch named Twister till he can’t breath, got it?”

    He sighed. “Whatever you say, but you two are in no shape right now to take him on. First thing to do is get your “partner” fix on up for the road ahead, which means we need to head to somepony who knows how to fix someone up. Luckily for you, I just so happen to know a pony,”

    I got to admit, at least Sharpshot knew where he was going, unlike me and Willow. I still didn't forgive him for what he had said earlier about my father, but I guess he probably had his reasons for saying that. Must have had a hard foal hood or something like that, probably lost his parents when he was young, but I didn't want to ask him about it. He seemed to get pretty brutal when it comes to something as simple arguing, I didn't want to see what he did to ponies that tried to kill him.

    As for Willow Wisp, she seemed to be happy just hugging me for the moment. She must have been happy that I hadn't abandoned her, or it could just be the fact she was a slave… Again. I hated thinking about it, how she was treated so horribly by somepony, or the fact that she had bared such a title in her life. I wanted to be as happy as her at the moment, but I couldn't get my mind off of the fact she was a slave. I wanted to make her life better, and if I was to find the pony that had owned her, I’m definitely going to kill them.

    “Alright,” I finally say “Lead the way Sharpshot,”

    He nodded and we headed off towards the settlement he had told me about. Everything was going to change for me, I knew it at that very moment. I was going to find things I would have rather have been kept secret, and meet ponies who would end up becoming great allies and die for the safety of us. It’s a law of the wasteland to me, you either survive or you die, and you take every step necessary to live. I was going to live, I was going to survive, and I was going to show the entire wasteland I'm not more than just a paralyzed pony. I’m Dead Hooves, and they will learn that name sooner or later, you can count on it.