Flight... A freedom I never realised, even hindered by a steel shell, its majesty was almost untainted. Even though I was bound to the steel and concrete walls of Stable 47 for my whole life, the sky still felt like home.

I swung wide and slowly brought the Vertibuck down near an old Shack about halfway to where I was going.... I was hoping to find some food and ammo.

Omce the dust kicked up from the rotors had settled I climbed out from my aircraft and looked to the dirty old shack that sat before me. The walls sagged and the wood was rotted through with age... The fact that it still stood even after two centuries was frankly quite amazing, I held a 10mm pistol in my mouth and carefully walked into the dreary old shack.

Inside smelled of rot and dirt, but rather than rotting wood, it smelled of rotting flesh... I gagged a bit at the scent... I strode in and heard a growl... As if some feral dog had heard me... I stepped forward again and saw something climb up from the floor, rotted flesh and dead eyes stared me down, then it lunged at me.

I Fired... The bullet punched deep into the flesh of the creature... Tearing rotted flesh from bone, I fired again and again at the flailing thing, each bullet causing it to stumble back but never hindering it, I fired three final shots into its head and the foul thing fell... Dead...

Its corpse was clothed with tattered cloth and old leather, on its ancient belt hung a key ring, I tugged the keys and the belt tore like damp paper. Now that the... Whatever it was, had died, I got the chance to look around the old shack... I noticed a soft clicking from my wrist. My pip buck's Geiger counter clicked to life... The needle on the tiny meter in the corner of my wrist device, its wavering still sat firmly in a green marked zone but the fact that there was in fact radiation made me feel unsettled...

I found a terminal on the far wall sittong on an old metal table, It was locked, I plugged in my pipbuck with a small cable to the back of the terminal... The maintenance software onboard doing its work presented a puzzle... I searched through the strings of letters and symbols until I selected the password, the terminal flickered to a screen displaying several files labeled as "Journal" and each had a date and time next to the name... Ranging from some day almist two hundred years ago to about two years later from that day.

I pressed enter on the first entry and some text appeared on the scree

Journal entry 1, 2 days since bombs fell.

I've decided to start writing journals, for what reason Im unsure... Just feels right ya know...

Anyway, its been a couple days since them zebras dropped megaspell bombs on us, radiation everywhere, crazy abominations running around... Horrible time to be alive out here. I secured a spot for my wife and son in a Stable a few miles east of here... Some little town called Ponyville... Unfortunately they were full up... Couldn't get myself a spot... So.. I built myself a little bunker in this shack to hide out in... Even going up top is dangerous... Its been a depressing couple days... I keep wondering what became of my family...

Journal Entry 2, 50 days since bombs dropped.

Been over a month now... Rads still stayin strong up there... No clue how the world looks bout now... Im beginning to think that this place is gonna be my tomb.

Journal 3, 1 year since bombs dropped

I had to go out to scrounge some food... Thank Celestia that I had this Radiation suit... Food's scarce... Found some old cram in an abandoned house, somehow its still sorta edible... Geiger slowed down since last entry... Still aint safe to stay out too long.

Journ&/ 4, maybe couple years since bomb drop.

Had to go out for more food... Almost every week... Rads change me... Hard to remember things... No clue hoe long its been...

Bunker Door.

Been too long, body falling apaft... Anypony who finds bunker... Code is 6TFRRAP...take what you want, Gonna die soon... Domt need no more.

I closed the last entry and stood back...

"Poor guy....all alone in a burned world... Maybe he became that zombie thing..."

My heart felt like lead... He sacrificed himself to save his family... I dearly hoped his family survived lomg enough to get inside...

I trotted to a large metal hatch in the floor. I typed the code into the wall terminal and I heard a soft 'Clunk' from the hatch.

I spun the metal wheel on the door and lifter it open with a loud screech. I walked down the stairs inti a small room below. Inside were a few sparsely stocked shelves... A combat shotgun sat on one shelf... Its drum sat near it with a few boxes of shells stacked on top. A hefty trench knife was stabbed into a wooden post nearby, on another shelf sat a few bottles of Sparkle cola and a little bit of cram, a radiation suit suit and helmet sat on another shelf, neatly folded up. The only other things inside were an old hotplate and a crude spear made from a broomhandle and an old knife.

I took the meager supplies and left the little house behind, I didn't want to think about the unfortunate stallion again... But it gave me the knowledge that the wasteland was cruel and unforgiving... A solemn reminder that I might end up a horrid monster like him... Or end up dead by some other monster...

I took to the air once again and resumed the flight east... The survival guide said something about a town called___
That was supposedly very good for buying and selling things...Maybe even for some work.

I flew onward... The more east I went the more I started to see signs of civilization. Flickering lights in old buildings, camps, even a few lit up signs showed up... Then I reached someplace named Hoofington, otherwise known as "The Core" Even from miles away I could see the eerie green glow... The radioactive rivers running through the ruined city surrounding it like veins of a massive beast. I shivered at the thought of what horrid abominations lay within its walls. The guide said to avoid it at all costs, that it was far too dangerous to even get close for it to be worth anypony's time.

I took the advice and gave the eerie city a wide berth, if it was as bad as the guide led on... I wouldn't what to get near it.

The flight was uneventful other than raiders trying to take pot shots at me... And failing horribly. I reached the former city of Detrot, now it was more of a makeshift town, in the guide it detailed that the controlling faction was called, "The gun runners" and that they were very fond of non magical weapons. Supposedly they were OK to be around so long as you didn't rob them or kill their ponies... Their town was also said to be "Awsome for trading, especially weapons"

I flew down closer and heard a radio crackle on inside the cabin of my flying behemoth.

"Unknown Vertibuck,Steel rangers are unwelcome here, reverse course immediately or we will open fire."

"I am not one of the steel rangers! I repeat, not a steel ranger!" I almost yelled back, I really didn't want to get shot down so early in my journey...

"Land outside the front gate... We wish to see for ourselves..."

"Ok then... Landing now" I set down near the gate, and shut off the engines, and I waited for the guards to arrive.

In a couple minutes two maroon clad guards trotted out from the gate ajd approached the Vertibuck, one held a pistol in its magic, and the other had a battle saddle with two rifles attached to it. They gave a firm knock on the side of the cockpit.

I exited unarmed to avoid provoking them and stood before them as they scrutinized me.

"Let me ask you a couple questions... Why do you want to enter?"

"I have things to trade and Im looking for work"

"What are you trading?"

"A crate of 10mm pistols"

"now, final question... Would you, or would you not try to aquire Premwar tech even at the cost of your life."

"Odd question, but I'd much rather stay alive thank you very much"

"you're clean... Welcome to detrot... Guns are permitted so lomg as ya don't shoot first... If ya get shot at... Go nuts! They deserve it...."

"Ill be going in then... Where should I land the Vert here?"

"Park that sucker on that old building next to the hotels, the little red brick one with the flat top... That oughtta better as good a place as any"

"Thanks... Seeya round" I turned and boarded the Vertibuck once more and made a short hop to the old brick building... It somehow held the weight without much issue, I shut off again and got out to look at the derelict city... Supposedly it's main purpose before the world burned was weapons production... It certainly showed... Ancient signs littered the skyline advertising companies like Remhayton and ironshod, and the occasional sign with some odd gun or type of ammo.

Maybe I would figure out where the ubiquitous 10mm's came from... They didn't have manufacturers printed on the casing... Only a serial number and a strange marking... The one I used had a small gear stamped into its casing... Others had things like fire, apples, crystals, clouds and the like... It was all pretty weird... I locked up the Vertibuck with my pipbuck and used an old roof access door to decend to the lower floor.

The building was all but abandoned, the walls had old posters and pinups from a time long past, the counter lay in ruins, the only things remaining were small shards of glass, and bits of drywall from the ceilings.

I left out the front and looked about the town that had sprung uo from the ashes of the once bustling city.

I walked to a building with a cobbled together sign that brightly proclaimed "Lead Slingers Saloon" inletters from what looked like tons of old signs.

I pushed through the old door and walked into a lively crowd of ponies... Drinking, talking, playing cards... Probably the least depressing place id seen in my whole life. I walked up to the bar, I was greeted by a white mare with Rediculously Pink hair... Almost glow in the dark... Heck, maybe it did glow in the dark. She greeted me with a weird smile and asked me what I wanted to drink.

"Whatcha want newcomer? Booze, chems? Directions to a good prostitute?"

"Just a beer for now... Im kinda short on caps at the moment..."

"Two caps" I put the two caps on the table with a light clink, she swiped them and tossed me a mug of beer...

I hardly ever drank in the stable... Alcohol was a luxury that I usually avoided... It would make me act like a buffoon if I got too much ... I got too drunk one time and I ended up in a closet wrapped up in duct tape... Never drank that much booze ever again.

I sipped at the frothy drink and let the soothing tingle of booze calm my nerves.. The past few weeks were stressful... Always thinking in the back of my head that I was going to get killed or robbed if I didn't stay awake... I didn't heed to the wonderings much... But ot had taken its toll... I felt hopeless... I'd left the stable, into a desolate dog eat dog world with a clogged gray sky and a knife to the throats of all who dared cross it...

I was shaken from my thoughts by a hoof on my shoulder... I turned around and stared eye to eye with a mare... She wore battered combat armor, her eyes were a soft amber, her coat was a dirty indigo blue,, and her mane was almost pitch black. A single electric blue stripe ran through it, the strangest thing was that she wore a conductors hat...

"You the one who came in with the fancy ass flying thing?"

"Uhh yep?"

"I heard from the guards that you want work... Ive got work... Meet me at the old subway station south of here tomorrow morning... Shouldn't be hard to find... Just look for the green sign above the stairs downward..."

"what kinda work?"

"depends what boss wants... Courier jobs, searching jobs, headhunting... You name it... But she pays good... It might be good for ya to join her... Plus you get benefits... Protection, place to bunk up, new duds, guns ammo... All a wastelander needs... As I said... Meet me at the subway."

"Eh...why not... Seeya there."

"addaboy! Seeya round"

I finished my beer and left. I went back to the Vertibuck to grab my crate of pistols to sell and dragged it to a building with a big ass homemade revolver sign above the entrance.

I was greeted by a stallion behind a makeshift counter.

"Welcome to Bloody mess Firearms... What can I doo ya for?"

"Got some stuff ta sell off." I dragged the crate to the counter and popped it open, revealing several shiny new 10 mm pistols.

"Well Ill be damned... Ill give ya two grand for the crate... Plus ill toss in a crate of ammo for ya... You just saved my ass.."

"what now?"

"We needed more ten mils for an order out west... My boss was gonna stick my head on the wall If I didn't get him the last ten..."

"Well damn, Ill take it then,,, two grand seems fair."

"here ya go.... Feel free to shop round while I celebrate!" he hoofed me a bag of caps, and after my Pip buck organized it in my bag it turmed out to be 2200 caps... Lucky me."

I perused the store, there were mostly small arms, pistols, carbines, shortened rifles, the like, but none of it relly caught my eye.

I left with some 44 magnum ammo, some 7.62, 5.56, 12.7 and the entire 'Surplus' shotgun ammo box...AKA a shit ton of random types of shotgun ammo for dirt cheap.

I hopped over to another shop nearby and bought a plasma rifle, and a basic gauss rifle.. And a bit of ammo for each..,. .pretty funky character running the place, had a top hat and a weird saddle mounted robot arm he used for his work... I found it more disturbing than I really should have... I hucked the guns in the vertibuck and spent the night in the vert... Not the best night sleep, but good enough.

I rose the next day sorta early, ate some cram and sparkle cola, and headed toward the subway.

Author's Note

Probably gonna work on the last bit of the chapter... I just wanted to get this posted after a bazillion rewrites and plot revisions.