Fallout: Equestria Destinies Alinged

(Broken Sword)

Oasis. The town I had come to in order to trade and get repairs was in ruins before me. Some of the buildings were still smoldering from flamer-happy raiders. The smells of charred and rotting flesh permeated the air around me. Raiders milled about the ruins, filthy stinking raiders.

They paid me no mind as I trotted into town, it was almost as if I was still one of them.

I entered a nearby house and instantly felt another presence with me. I began to rummage through cupboards and containers. "Is somepony here?" I asked. "I promise I won't hurtcha."

I opened another cupboard and found a small pegasus filly who couldn't have been more than 16 or 17. She had a fluffy light brown coat with blue dapples and a black mane. Her emerald eyes stared at me, full of alarm.

"Aww! Well, aintcha a cutie!" I nearly gushed. "Now, I won't hurtcha unless I got to, kay?"

"P-please don't sell me out to the raiders!" She cried out, pleading me with her eyes.

I simply chuckled and nodded. "No worries, I ain't not that kinda prick." I said gently. "Come on out, are you alright?"

The filly looked left, then right, and then crawled out. The "little" filly wasn't quite as small as I thought.

"I'm fine... My name's Ratchet Sparks." She said, looking me right in the eyes. The filly's cutiemark was a wrench and screwdriver crossed in an X.

"Broken, Broken Sword." I told her. " What happened here?"

"I was with my mom and dad, and then the raiders came... Dad got his battle saddle on and fought, mom hid me in the cupboard and went out to fight too... I... I think they're dead." she said sadly, bowing her head. Tears came to her eyes but she shook her head to clear them.

I decided to hug her, and pulled her in close. "S'okay to cry, little one." I said in my best soft tone. "I cried when my mum was struck down by raiders, you'd better believe it." That was the first time I had admitted to that in years.

Ratchet laid her head on my shoulder and was silent for a long time.

"Are you alone?" She asked carefully. Something told me she already knew the answer, but I told her anyways.

"I've been alone ever since I got kicked out of the raider group I ran with."I told her cautiously, releasing her from my hug.

Ratchet's eyes went wide and she tried to back away.

"Now, now, come on kid, I'm not a raider no more!" I said casually. "But... I ain't exactly no good guy either." I clarified. I wasn't about to lie to this kid.

Ratchet Sparks relaxed visibly, but was still a bit tense. "If you're not a raider, and you're not a good guy, what are you?" she asked curiously.

I had to think about that for a moment. Good and Evil couldn't be the only things a pony could be, right? "Guess I'm neutral, kinda in between." I said thoughtfully. " I do good things, like saving you, which I'm about to do in a second, and I do bad things, which we won't discuss."

A look of shock sat on Ratchet's face. "How are you going to save me?" She asked tentatively.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, it's gonna require some fancy wing work." I said.

My smile was returned and Ratchet nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

"Wing it!" I said, turning to the door, opening it and galloping out before taking to the skies. I forgot to ask how well Ratchet could fly. Worry began to drip into the pit of my stomach and I turned my head to look behind me.

Sure enough, Ratchet Sparks was on my tail, flying confidently. That's when the first gun went off.

More shots were fired at us, so I took an evasive maneuver, Ratchet right behind me. Soon we left the town of Oasis behind us, the sounds of shouting raiders faded in the distance. I looked behind me and saw Ratchet landing, so I followed her down, down into the dead yellow and brown wasteland below.

"You alright, Sparky?" I asked.

"Don't..." She huffed. "Call me Sparky."

I laughed, and patted her on the back. "Alright, I won't." I couldn't help but ask myself why I helped the Pegasus filly. In another part of my life I would have thought nothing of raping her, killing her and throwing her body with the rest.

The answer was simple, when you find something truly valuable... You keep it.