Fallout: Equestria Destinies Alinged

(Ratchet Sparks)

I awoke the next morning to the smell of hay burgers. I rolled over in my bed, not wanting to get up until I saw that Broken was gone.

Wriggling out of bed, I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where my "family" was eating.

"Good morning." I yawned.

"Mornin'!" Broken greeted me, clearing his plate into his mouth. "Sleep well?"

"Mhmm." I said groggily. "I don't wake up well."

Broken let out a stifled augh but quickly stopped. He then looked down at his plate in contemplation.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, troubled by my friend's behavior.

Broken smiled and waved my question off with a hoof. "Who cares, how are you holding up, Rach?"

"I am way too tired to answer that." I replied, sitting down at the table.

"Hey, Mrs.Heartstrings, where's the mister?" Broken asked.

"Oh, he's just out on a case." Mrs.Heartstrings replied, serving me some food.

I instantly started eating, but stopped when Broken got up to leave.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" I asked, getting up to follow.

Broken cringed at 'Big Brother' and turned around. "This don't feel right... I'm gonna air out a bit. Kay, Rach? You should go eat." I figured this was a gentle way of telling me not to follow.

"Oh... Okay." I said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Nothin' to be sorry for." Broken replied. "Meet me at the abandoned house if we're gonna take down raiders, and bring my rifle. It's up in the room. If not, goodbye and keep my rifle. Consider it a gift."

I nodded and looked away. "I'll see you soon then." I told him. He stopped, maybe for a second but then continued on.

Sadness came over me and I let a few tears fall before heading back to the table to finish. As soon as I got done with my food, I fetched the rifle and came back downstairs.

"Hey, Ratchet, before you go, I know it's not much but here's some clothes." Mrs.Heartstring

I stopped and turned around. Mrs.Heartstrings held a flannel, a scarf and a holster for my rifle. I thanked her and put them on. The rifle didn't quite fit in the holster and the clothes were a tad big, but I was grateful for her generosity.

I thanked her again and ran out to meet Broken Sword.

Broken had a large piece of glass in his mouth when I saw him, it had duct tape around the bottom so that it didn't cut him. "You ready to play?" he asked around the makeshift weapon

"I wouldn't call it playing, but I'm ready to go." I sais grimly.

The former raider laughed. "If you say so, let's go." And he led the way out of town.

I saw a cloaked pony in an alley, a mint coat barely visible in the shadows. I could help but let out a chuckle as we passed by.

"Hmm?" Broken asked.

I pointed to the cloaked pony in response. The pony soon walked away after being revealed.

As soon as we were out of town, I unholstered my weapon and took to the skies. I looked back to see Broken right behind me.

"What is it?" He yelled over the wind.

"We'll get tere fafer." I replied around the rifle in my mouth.

"You're right." Broken shouted back with a smile. He had lost much of the gloom from earlier.

I was sure to land several yards away from the outskirts of my former home. I went into a sneaking position and went up behind the first raider I saw.

I hesitated pulling the trigger once the gun was up to his head, but as he started to turn around, I fired, blowing his head off. Blood and brain matter splattered my and the ground.

Another raider started to charge at me, so I shot him, only getting his shoulder, and flew up high. I looked down to see Broken locked in combat with a raider, but he quickly ended it with a blow to the head. He drove he piece of glass through the raider's eye, blood squirting everywhere when he pulled it out, she slumped to the ground, dead.

Broken then took her machete and charged, wings unfurled for the cover of a nearby wall.

I looked away and dodged the bullet of a sniper, positioned on the roof of the town hall. I fired at them and heard a shouted curse word.

Below I saw a cloaked figure, one I assumed to be Mr.Heartstrings, getting charged by two raiders. He wasn't moving, nor did he draw a weapon, so I fired rapidl at the raiders, missing every shot.

As I got lower and lower I heard Broken shouting at me. "Try not to waste ammo!"

I didn't say a word, for fear of dropping my only weapon. I flapped my wings harder in an attempt to get more altitude.

It seemed as though my efforts were futile, my wings were too tired, and I had never flown so much in my life.

I landed and looked around to see where I was. Before I could figure that out, a sharp pain entered my body, specifically my back leg. I looked up and saw the sniper from earlier, setting up for another shot.

I ran towards Mr.Heartstrings who held a revolver is amber colored magic. He fired at one of the raiders, missing and then the other, merely grazing his shoulder.

I saw Broekn in the sky above, heading for the sniper. That's when the second bullet hit me in the flank. I let out a cry of pain, but ingnored it. I aimed for one raider as he fired at Mr.Heartstrings, who ducked out of the way.

The bullet went right into the raider's knee, causing him to fall. The other raider turned on me and sent out a gush of flames right at me!

Oh sweet Celestia!I thought to myself as I fired two more shots, hopefully at the flame weilding pony.

The flames stopped and the fire weilding pony had fallen, blood oozing out of a wound in his neck.

I heard an inoherent scream and turned around to see the two peices of falling body of the sniper and Broken following it.

"Thank you, for helping me that is." A male's rich velvety voice said. The voice had an accent I couldn't place.

"You're not Mr.Heartstrings!" I said incredulously.

"That, I am not." He replied calmly, taking off his hood. "I am Knives Edge." His coat was white with black stripes, just like the Zebras who had come to Oasis to trade. But... He also had a long Unicorn's horn.

Instead of rudely asking what he was, I extended a hoof. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Ratchet Sparks" I said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Knives said with a charming smirk. I felt my knees get weak, so I sat down.

"Who is that?" Knives asked, pointing to my companion who was collecting Celestia knows what off the sniper's body.

"That's my traveling partner, Broken Sword." I said. I was wiling to tell this stallion just about anything.

That's when Broken came to rest by my side.

"We were just talking about you!" I told Broken with a smile. "Broken, this is Knives Edge, Knives, this is Broken sword."

A moment passed and suddenly I didn't feel so amiable towards the newcomer. Not that he had a suspicious air, he was just suddenly less charming. I stood back up and looked into his amethyst eyes.

"What are you?" Broken asked, breaking my concentration. "Like, those stripes tattoos or somethin'?"

Knives threw back his head and laughed. "I am part Zebra." He clarified. "But the rest of me is all Unicorn, I assure you."

"Well, ain't that unusual. What brings you to this side of paradise?" Broken asked Knives curiously.

"I came to Oasis to trade, but it would seem raiders took over not long ago." He chuckled a bit. "I should have recognized a raider town sooner."

I nodded in disagreement. "Anyone can make a mistake."

"Thank you, Ratchet." Knives said with a bow of the head.

"So, did you two know each other before everything happened?" Broken asked casually as he searched the bodies of the other raiders.

"Sadly, no." Knives said. "I wish I could've been here to help defend this place."

"Well, it is the wastes." Broken threw out. "If people aren't gonna protect themselves, this is what happens."

I felt the beginnings of rage start to smolder inside of me. "My parents did protect themselves! And others!" I fumed at him. "Were the just casualties, too weak for the wasteland? Did they deserve to die?!"

Broken didn't wince. "Do you really think I beleive that?" He asked harshly. "I came here to help you avenge your parents and everypony else for that matter. I'm just sayin' that mybe if they had built a wall or somethin' this woulda never happened."

I softened as Broken looked to the sky, and then headed west. I galloped to catch up. "Wait! I'm... I'm sorry!" I shouted

"Wait for me!" Knives said, catching up to Broken and I with graceful ease.

Broken stopped and turned around. "You know, about a week ago I was just like them. I thought nothing except chems, rape and murder." He said in a growl. "Every life was just another mark on my rifle. Until I learned how death could be. When that bastard Broken Oath took my Cherish away... He raped her, killed her and just threw her away. I made him pay. I kiled him nice and slow, along with everypony that held her down for him."

Broken went nose to nose with me, his sapphire blue eyes full of flames and sadness. "I killed that fucking peice of shit and it was the last life I'd ever take without a hint of guilt." He paused, letting the fire in his eyes die down. "Never mistake me for one of those peices of shit."

I looked down and away. "I'm... I'm sorry..." i mumbled. "I won't make that mistake again." I looked back up to see Broken walking away again. "P-please! let me travel with you! I have no home anymore!"

Broken Sword stopped and looked back before coming over and poking me on the nose. "What kind of big brother would I be if I left my little sis all alone in the wastes?" He asked, the sadness in his eyes disappearing. "I'm not mad at ya, I'm just trying to deal with the way everything's changed."

"I'm so sorry I shouted at you..." I apologized. I couldn't believe I had gotten angry with the only pony I was sure I could trust.

"Don't be." Broken replied gently. "It would be wrong if you didn't feel anything about what happened."

I nodded back. I didn't want to say a word.

"Do you wanna grab anything before we leave?" Broken asked. I told him yes and headed towards m old house.

We grabbed his switchblade and my tool case, which had been looted but still had some useful tools and scrap bits.

"Anything else you wanna do while we're here?" Broken asked.

"Yeah..." I took a nervous breath. "Can Knives edge come with us if he wants to?" Even though his charm had worn off, I couldn't help but find that I was fond of him.

"Yeah, sure." He replied carelessly. "Hey, Stripes!" He called outside. "Wanna come with us?"

Knives winced visibly at 'Stripes' but agreed to come with us. "It's been too long since I've been in decent traveling company." He said. The wind picked up as headed away from my house and Knives put on a set of goggles. All I could do was to pull my scarf over my face.

"You two wanna scav around a bit?" Broken asked us.

"We could poke around a bit." I said. "Knives, what do you think?"

"It makes me sad to pick the houses of the dead, but it most be done to survive." Knives replied.

We did a thorough search of all the houses we could get into. Before we left the town we came upon a safe. I tried to pick the lock, with no success, and Broken tried with the same result.

"Let's just hit it back to Candlestead." Broken said in frustration.

So, we set off.

Footnote Level up! New perk: Cherchez la Filly, +10% damage to those of the same sex and unique dialogue options with certain characters.