The last thing I remembered was the searing pain, as it punched a hole through my maintenance barding and shoulder. Then as everything faded away into a deep black fog, all I could hear was the sounds of gunfire and screams. So this is what it felt like to die.. Those Celestia damned bastards! They invaded my home, killed my family and took my sister away. How in the hell had they even gotten into the stable to begin with? The stable door was still supposed to be sealed shut!

When I awoke, I found my eyes impossibly hard to open. It was like they just wanted to stay closed, drift off back into the sweet embrace of Luna’s dream world. There was also a horrible throbbing pain in my shoulder. A groan of pain left my lips. The sterile smell of medical cleaning products also told me I wasn’t in my parent’s stall where I had fallen. I was also laying on a soft bed, a cover pulled over me to keep me warm apparently.

I still had yet to open my eyes as the sounds of some pony moving nearby urged me to open my eyes. Finally I willed my eyes to open, and found myself exactly where I had guessed. I was laying on a bed in the stables medical clinic. Though now the walls and floor were covered in gruesome bloody mess of a nightmare.

There were many unidentifiable bodies strewn in gore filled bloody messes all over the floor. A security pony lay on top of a headless intruder whose head was now a bloody mess, painting the medical clinic window with bits of pink flesh, as a bone splinter had lodged in the pillow of an empty medical bed.

There was something wrong with me, right? I had just seen my family slaughtered, and my little sister drug away by her mane. I should be freaking out, right? But that's the problem. I wasn’t.. I was completely calm.

'Okay, enough lying around, I need to get up and look for survivors as well as who ever moved me in here.' Attempting to sit up brought a nauseating wave of pain to my shoulder. I groaned aloud this time as I forced myself to sit up on the bed. I looked down seeing the magic laced healing bandages, wrapped around my chest and shoulder.

I didn’t have time to think about who had bandaged me, as the sound of closing box came from the adjacent room.

The sound of approaching hooves made me bolt out of the bed, a spike of fear causing my heart to race. Now of all times I had to get scared? Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I began to search for something to defend myself with.

The only thing I could find was a medical scalpel nearby. Quickly I wrapped the scalpel in my magic. I pulled it close hovering the sharp pointy object beside my face. I swallowed nervously as I backed my rump up against a row of medical lockers.

My panic was greeted by the gruff voice of the stallion that was approaching. “Kid, I don’t suggest threatening the stranger that saved your ass,” warned the strange stallion in some kind of armor, leather duster and top hat. Interesting. That was the only word I could conjure to describe the buck.

He had clearly tended to my wounds and then set to looting the medical clinic’s supplies. Great, the jack ass who saved me was a damned thief! “Why did you save me? You’re one of them! Why not do to me what your buddies did to my mother?!” I spat angrily at the buck.

Calmly the armored buck with the top hat and piercing green eyes trotted over to me. He was staring at my shoulder, where it had been bandaged. It finally dawned on me how skillfully the bandages had been wrapped.

“What makes you think I’m a raider?” He asked me simply, the tone of his voice flat, almost bored.

I stood staring at him. He had a point. I had been shot when I was in my parents stall.

"Did you carry me in here?” I asked as the thought dawned in my head. “I was in my parent’s stall, I thought I was dead..” I spoke to the strange buck staring at me. It was clear now from his sophisticated armor, he wasn’t one of those bastards he had called a raider.

Looking at the buck, his armor was scaled to be almost a second skin. He was actually rather handsome. His coat under the armor was clearly nice fitting gun metal grey, a scar ran over the right side of his face. He wore a short stack top hat over his forehead, clearly covering a horn. The buck was a unicorn, how interesting. That would explain how he had moved me.

Over his armor he wore a brown leather duster, with a large scoped hunting revolver slung in a holster under the duster. Well now wielding the tiny scalpel seemed completely stupid.

“Kid, put down the scalpel before you do something stupid.” Was all the buck said to me.

I blinked, my ears burning with embarrassment as I realized I was still holding the scalpel next to me aiming it at the clearly better armed buck. With a flick of my strawberry blonde tail, my magic around the scalpel dissipated and it clattered to the floor with a metallic twang.

“Sorry,” I quickly apologized to the buck. “H..How did you know I was still alive?” I dared to ask the buck though slightly reluctantly. I wasn’t quite sure I really wanted to know, but I had asked anyway. “Why did you help me?” I asked the buck. I actually did want to know why he hadn’t left me to die.

“Maybe just a whim.” Was the only unsatisfying response he boredly gave in a gruff voice. I was beginning to see conversation wasn’t going to be big with this buck.

That answer wasn’t exactly reassuring either. “In any case, thank you.” I stopped for a moment. Fox Charm, my sister, I had to find her. They had taken her. “I have a favor, if I may ask it.” I spoke carefully choosing my words. He was clearly my best hope of finding Fox Charm, I rationalized it with the fact that he knew the outside and I didn’t.

“I pretty sure I don’t owe you any favors, kid.” He responded moving to a locked medical cabinet a screwdriver and bobby pin floated from his packs wrapped in his magic.

I watched as the buck skillfully, and near instantly pop the lock. It was then I knew how I could get him to help. I liked being nosy, and being constantly stuck as head maintenance pony really gave me that chance to do so with permission. “I have the code to the pony’s office, and the code to the Overmare’s office. You want everything of value and substance in this stable, right? I’ll give you both.”

I paused watching the buck’s reaction. His only acknowledgement that I was speaking to him was a single gun metal grey ear he had turned towards me. “If you agree to help me find my sister, I’ll be your personal key for the entire stable.” I finished and took a cautious step toward the buck.

The buck snorted and gave a flick of his black and red striped tail. “Tempting. We get the loot first, then we’ll see." He looked at me with those piercing green eyes that despite the gruffness of his voice held strange amount of warmth.

“My name is Alice Rose.” I spoke sweetly to the buck as I introduced myself to the buck who had clearly saved my life.

Approaching me slowly the buck stopped nearly muzzle to muzzle with me. “Move it or lead the way to the closet promised loot.” He stated simply looking me dead in the eyes.

Remembering the Eyes Forward Sparkle function of my pipbuck, I pulled it up checking for red blips. Red was aggressive, which meant attack first ask questions later. The way to the maintenance stall was clear, no enemies to be seen, close by anyway.

“We are closest to the maintenance stalls, that’s where I worked so we get in no problem.” I explained swiftly with a rather proud smile. Turning out of the medical clinic, I walked swiftly towards the maintenance stalls leading the strange buck, who had saved my life, through my now gore and body strewn home.

As we neared the maintenance stall door, I saw the headless body of one of the invading raider ponies. His head and bits of pink and gray brains were splattered over the steel door like a gory new paint job. As we stood there for a moment, a bit of the raiders face slid to the floor with a wet plop.

I heard a snicker from behind me. Was this his work? Was he really getting some weird humor out of the gory mess he had created? I glanced behind me at the buck in the top hat.

“I love what you’ve done with the place.” The buck commented snarkily as I looked at him. At least he had a sense of humor, albeit a strange one, but one nonetheless. And indeed he did find this rather amusing.

The buck had a small smirk on his muzzle, I glanced to his eyes. They were now covered by a pair of dark mirrored sunglasses.

“So what can I call you then, chuckles?” I asked playfully, daring to tease the buck even just a little. No reason to stay tense around the buck who had saved my life.

Cocking an eyebrow the buck grunted, “Chuckles?” He questioned, his voice even gruffer than before. “Name’s Hatter.” He grinned beaming proudly as he straightened a bit.

I couldn’t stifle the small giggle that escaped my muzzle at his reaction to my nickname. I found it completely funny that he just kinda stood there and stared at me. “Alright Hatter, let’s go get you the first bit of your promised reward.” I said scooting the headless body away from the door with my back hoof, as I raised my pipbuck to unlock the stall door.

I opened the door and bit my lower lip as I spotted Piper the pale blue buck who had been my partner for near two years. He was huddled in front of his desk in a pool of his own blood, a single bullet wound through the chest of his maintenance barding. The drying dark edges of the pool of blood told me he had been hit by the shot from a raider and had locked himself in here to die. “Oh Piper.. I’m so sorry.” I breathed softly as I approached his body seeing the recording device clutched in his hooves.

The pale blue buck’s body had fallen to rest against his own desk. At least he had gotten to pass in his second home. I sniffled softly, the buck had been like the brother I never had. “You just had your foal last night.” I spoke softly and endearingly to the dead buck as my voice cracked.

I leaned down nuzzling the fallen buck sadly. He didn’t deserve to die like this. He had always been such a fun loving, and gentle buck.

After saying my goodbye to Piper, I trotted to my desk and retrieved my ring of maintenance keys in my mouth, I shook my head jingling them. I wrapped them in my magic with a grin.

“Being the head maintenance mare has its perks, you know.” I purred playfully, throwing a wink at Hatter. He grunted unamused as I walked around my desk floating the keys in my magic, I passed them to him as he wrapped them in his own grey colored magic. He was free to loot as he pleased. Those keys would open any lock except the Overmare’s office.

“Just leave me the pipbuck maintenance and repair kit please, everything else is fair game. Just remember I’m going with you, so I’ll need supplies too.” I had every intention of going with Hatter whether he liked it or not. At least until I found Fox Charm anyway.

I quickly moved to my work packs hanging on the wall, and lifting them in my magic I dumped the current contents on the floor. ‘No use for most of it, best to make room,’ I thought to myself as I magically picked out my screwdriver and collection of bobby pins. I moved to the pipbuck maintenance cabinet and opened it. I took the pipbuck maintenance and repair kit, as well as the contents of several medical kits. Never know when you’re gonna need some Radaway or a healing potion.

Hatter watched me put my bobby pins and other items in my packs. He cocked an eyebrow at my lockpick equipment. I flashed him a playfully confident smile. “Ponies here had a bad habit of losing their keys, and always using my keys got boring. So I learned to pick locks. Not that the Overmare was very happy about that.” I was just trying to talk a little. I didn’t like quiet. It was so.. well, quiet.

I moved to the wall next to my desk where I kept the picture of my little sister. I gently removed it with my magic, it was a picture of Fox Charm the day she got her cutiemark. I stowed it safely away in my packs.

Levitating my packs into place over my maintenance barding, I tightened the straps and headed for the door. I looked at Hatter and offered a cheerful smile. “Ready to go?” I asked looking at the raider splattered over the floor. His weapon was a sawed-off shotgun. I levitated it up in my magic and broke it open. It wasn’t in very good condition, but I realized the raider never had a chance to fire it before Hatter had summarily splattered his face on the wall.

“At least you don’t have a problem looting the dead.” I heard Hatter grunt as he came up behind me.

“They aren’t using it any more, now are they?” I chimed cheerfully taking the raider’s remaining shells, I stowed them in my packs.

I heard the buck behind me chuckle as he peeked around me. He had finished picking over what he wanted from the maintenance stall. “Good point. What else he got?” Came the bucks response in a bit lighter tone but still gruff.

I couldn’t help but grin as I went through the dead raiders packs. There was some sort of strange meat, a few shells for a gun the raider didn’t have, and a few magic laced healing bandages.

I wrinkled my muzzle at the meat, dropping it beside the raider. I took the bandages and stowed them in my packs, while offering Hatter the other shells with my magic. He graciously accepted them stowing them in his own packs. I got the feeling this buck wasn’t really all growl and bite, after all he had taken the time to save my life. As we made our way deeper into the stable, I began to wonder how the raiders had gotten inside in the first place. The stable door was supposed to have been sealed, no pony in, no pony out.

Rounding the corner to the Overmare’s quarters, we encountered three still living raiders. I looked at Hatter as we hid around the corner. “I think you missed a few.” I grunted as one took a shot at us with a pistol. The other two were carrying nail covered baseball bats.

The two bat wielding ponies took cover as I fired the sawed-off shotgun around the corner. The shot missed entirely, peppering the door to the Overmare’s quarters. Well, I was a amazingly horrible shot with this thing. “Your pipbuck has a targeting system to help with your aim, pull it up and use it.” Hatter told me gruffly as he levitated his rather interesting looking revolver with a sight set on top near his face.

I was confused as to how he knew that, but curiously scrolled through the spells on my pipbuck. I found the one I had never seen before, probably because I never needed to use it before. It was marked S.A.T.S.

I opened it and shook my head slightly, startled as a tutorial popped up on the screen of my pipbuck.

“Hello and welcome to the pipbuck Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell. This is an advanced spell designed for assistance in combat situations. This spell allows you the user to better align your attacks on opponents. This spell also allows for targeting multiple opponents and body parts by slowing time for a short period. After each use, S.A.T.S. must be allowed to recharge for several seconds.”

‘Well now, that was a convenient little trick,’ I thought to myself as with a rather interested grin. Using S.A.T.S. for the first time, I lined up the sawed-off shotgun with the pistol wielding raider’s head and wrapped my magic around the trigger firing as S.AT.S. dropped away and time sped up.

The sawed-off shotgun burst to life with a fiery explosion. I fired two shots from the shotgun emptying both barrels. Both of my shots found their marks, the buckshot peppered the raider's head and neck, she crumpled to the floor. I giggled in a burst of unexpected joy at the raider’s death. Okay, now I saw what it was that Hatter found so amusing about this. It was pretty fun to watch the head of some pony so filthy just go.. Splat!

Hatter glanced at me as he cracked a half smile, the leveled revolver taking aim at one of the bat wielding raider bucks that was now charging angrily towards us. He fired a single shot and the raider’s left foreleg which was torn off spraying the floor with his blood as he fell forward skidding to a stop on his face several feet from Hatter’s hooves.

Hatter fired a second shot into the top of the raider buck’s skull and it exploded in a shower of pink bits of flesh and brain as his blood sprayed from where his head used to be. “His mind was feeling a little claustrophobic, I just helped it get out.” Hatter quipped with a rather strange smile.

A soft hum left my mouth as I broke open the shotgun and slid in two more shells. The last raider pony charged at us, his spiked bat held tightly in his jaws. He was close enough I knew I wouldn’t need S.A.T.S.. I leveled the shotgun in front of me wrapped in my magic. A malicious grin spread over my face as the raider continued his charge.

I telekinetically pulled the trigger, the buckshot bursting from the barrel of the sawed-off shotgun ripping into the chest of the raider pony. The shot ripped apart the vital organs as he hit the ground blood pouring from the shredded hole in his chest.

A soft giggle left my muzzle as a bright cheery smile crept onto my face. I knew I had to look like an insane pony giggling and smiling with sick enjoyment covered from horn to hoof in blood and gore of other ponies drying on my fur. I could smell the coppery scent of the blood as it caked my form. I took focus from battle as my Eyes Forward Sparkle told me it was all clear.

“Well aren’t you just a little bundle of gore in a perky package.” Hatter commented in his gruff tone, though there did happen to be a slight hint of amusement in his voice. He had already set to looting the corpses of the mutilated raiders. I let a soft laugh escape my muzzle as I trotted up to the mess of flesh chunks and entrails that had once been the bat wielding buck I shot.

I had began going through the fallen pony’s packs when I came across five bottle caps tucked into his belongings. I wrapped them in my magic floating them up in front of my face. They just looked like old rusty, ordinary, bottle caps. What the bloody balls was so great about them that the raider was carrying them?

I snorted loudly in confusion, but smiled still. “Well I guess everypony has to have their hobbies.” I commented to my rescuer only to have the buck respond with an out of character fit of laughter. “Kid, that’s what we out in the wastes call money.” Hatter broke into another fit of laughter that lasted long enough I thought he would piss his armor.

It didn’t take us long to reach the Overmare’s office after dispatching the remaining raiders inside the stable. I now stood in front of the Overmare’s terminal going through the files on it. There were a few things I wanted answers to and hoped maybe I would find at least one here. I brought up one of the more recent entries and played it.

“Our orchard is beginning to fail, I don’t know how much longer it will last. This stable has lasted for over two hundred years. It is our sanctuary from the radiation poisoned land outside our stable door. I’ve had to start rationing our food supplies, this included the ceasing the production of apple whiskey. That made a lot of ponies mad...”

I clicked the entry off, my breath was shaking in my lungs as I sat there for a moment. The stable started to fail. We were slowly going to starve in here! It explained why Piper and I had been constantly working on systems sustaining the water talisman and the orchard. Calmer now, I scrolled to another entry.

“It’s been a month since the orchard started to fail, I’ve had to add the water talisman to the list of failing systems. Piper and Alice are working their hardest to keep them going, but I fear it may not be enough. I still haven’t been able to find the courage to tell everypony in the stable yet. I think Piper is beginning to suspect something is wrong. He approached me last night, he asked me about why even though he and Alice keep working on the line and everything, the orchard is still slowly dying. I fear our water talisman may be poisoning our orchard.”

I scrolled to another entry, this one different from the rest of them.

“Something happened tonight. I got a message on my terminal from somepony on the other side of the stable door. They said if I opened the door they could help us. They said that they had read about our failing orchard on the outside terminal statistics. I didn’t even know that was possible.

I asked him what he wanted in return. He told me he just wanted to get fresh water for his family. That they were travelling, and just needed supplies. I agreed and met him with enough supplies at the gate for three ponies. He promised he would return tomorrow and help us.”

Oh goddess, the Overmare had fallen for a trap! There was one last entry on the terminal. I was shaking badly. I didn’t know how to feel as I opened the last entry.

“Celestia help us, it was a trap... The stallion from yesterday came back as promised, but he tricked me! I opened the door and they rushed in. I hit the panic button but it was already too late. They’re inside…

They're killing everypony. Its an absolute slaughter! I’ve been shot, I’m dying. I’m so sorry everypony. I.. I messed up bad.”

I was shaking badly as I turned off the terminal. Tears were running down my face. Our Overmare had killed everypony in an attempt to save then.

Hatter had finished his looting and had come up behind me. I hadn’t realized he was there until he whistled, “Damn, that escalated quickly.” He commented in his gruff tone.

I ignored his comment collapsing in tears. The Overmare had gotten my sister taken by murderous ponies, because she didn’t have the balls to tell everypony our stable was failing. She didn’t want to admit it might be time to open the door and leave after two-hundred and six years!

“Hey kid, it’s okay. Everything happens for a reason. All ya can do is accept and plan your next move.” Hatter spoke in an oddly kind tone in his gruff voice.

Hater had come up next to me. He place an armored hoof on my shoulder, “I don’t recommend staying here now that raiders know this place is open. Steel Rangers won't be far behind.” He seemed to really just be stating facts rather than giving me a warning.

“You can follow me for now if you want. You ain’t a bad shot and seem useful, so if you don’t slow me down, I won’t leave you behind.” As he spoke, my crying had slowed.

“And if we happen to catch wind of your sister wherever we go, if it don’t cause trouble for me, I’ll help you.” His acceptance to help me seemed more like and offer for me to be a tag along, but I suppose it was the best I was going to get.

Sniffing once, I offered Hatter a bold smile. “Sounds like a deal, I guess.” I stood up opening the drawer of the desk the terminal was on. Inside was a revolver and several boxes of ammo for it. The gun had never been fired from the condition it was in.

I was claiming these. I levitated the weapon and ammo boxes into my packs, after loading the revolver.

Author's Note

Rebel: AND SO THE ADVENTURE BEGINS!~ Hope y'all are enjoying so far. Updates will be sporadic as I type in the story from paper to gdocs, transfer to here then edit, so bear with me!

I don't have anything else to say besides be sure to like, comment, and let me know if I missed any typos. Thanks!