Fallout Equestria: Ain't that a Buck in the Head

Chapters

Beginnings
Heartaches by the Number
Failure
Only The Beginning

Beginnings

War, war never changes, but we do, through the roads we walk, the paths we take, and the beings of this magical world of wonder and horror that we meet, welcome to the new Equestria, welcome home.

Hello,my old silent friend. Or am I talking to myself again.
I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ve been this way since I lost my group to an abandoned Stable, and my normality.
I never got my cutie mark which is strange but what hell occurred in that place is what made me even weirder.
I don’t think you know me but I’m Blue Moon, a veteran ranger of the New Coltifornia Republic. I am now known as the crying ranger but let me explain before you completely criticize me. I was engaged with the most beautiful mare I had seen as well as the first after my mother. She was known as Shimmering Light. We loved each other and I was also friends with her older brother who was also in the NCR even though he was older than me.
I had become a veteran ranger before him, when I was 20. Were looking for Stable 116, a famed medical Stable that would’ve saved many had it have been true. It was an Enclave experiment Stable where ponies were tricked into being sliced up and severely fucked with. Here’s how it went down.
“Hahaha, no fucking way you ricochet a bullet and hit that colt in the balls,” I laughed after Shining Star, my friend and comrade, “Laugh all you want it happened,” he said. “I doubt it,” one of the privates said. Suddenly my pipbuck, that was tuned in to New Pegasus News Radio, began to play We Three by the Ink Ponies. I loved this song and it played as we trotted through the night to the Stable in these hills. I had begun to think of Star’s Anti Machine rifle skills before we saw a bunch of medical Mr. Handys charging over the ridge, at least 10, it was too late and they grabbed us under the forelegs after disarming the 4 of us and killing our lieutenant who tried to fight back and my pipbuck was scrambled.
I felt fear as I was pony handled and without my big iron. They also ripped our armor from us and had put magic inhibitors on our horns. We arrived at the dark Stable and were dragged down three flights of stairs, kicking and screaming. I finally kicked free but I was caught by another, which fired up it’s bone saw as it held me by the whooves. “No no please no,” I began to cry before it said, “Amputation confirmed, beginning operation.”
It sliced through and I screamed in the most agonisingly painful pain imaginable and it seemed to last for 3 centuries as it ripped through my left foreleg. It now hung by a thread of my black fur coated skin and gristle before snapping off, leaving me hanging by my right foreleg as I cried and passed out from the pain. I awoke after Celestia knows how long. My legs hurt and I couldn’t see or roll over off of my back. I went to rub my eyes with my right hoof but, nothing.
I began to hyperventilate as I remembered what happened and what happened when I passed out and screamed a blood curdling scream. I heard a mechanical wur and my pipbuck began to play Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by The Platters and I began to feel my hind legs spread in their bindings. “Oh no no no,” I screamed before I heard and felt the snapping of bones in my left leg followed by the right as I screamed. They were being bent the wrong way until they snapped then they were cut open and I felt more components and, I think joints, as well as some new muscle, or at least I think so. I didn't have time to figure out as my voice went hoarse and I passed out.
I awoke and felt, strange. Almost as if my body wasn’t mine and I was able to see and the room I was in had a big mirror that covered the ceiling. I also saw that the walls were padded and I couldn't see where the door was. I was no longer restrained and I figured that I was on some good painkillers as I stood, or at least attempted to but found my rear end was higher than my front and that I felt something strange on my fore hooves before remembering that they were supposed to be gone and looking down to find metal ones with my pipbuck built into them and what I had read about in a diary I had found and read about in it. The pony who wrote it called them ‘fingers’. I looked at my rear legs and saw that they were as straight as my forelegs had been and bent the same way.
I felt woozy suddenly before falling off of the gurney I was on and landed on the hard concrete floor. I stood up on my or what used to be my hind legs and found that I balanced nearly perfectly on them. I looked at my pipbuck and the display said, SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY UPGRADED, before going to my status and notifying me that my perks had given me the ‘bionic biped’ perk as well as notes of how it worked. I turned on New Pegasus News Radio and DJ Olivia Fil was just finishing announcing her engagement to Holly Guitar before playing Together by the Ink Ponies as I began to study the note. I felt itchy on my foreleg and successfully scratched it away before assuming that my nerves, or new ones, were linked to them. I finished reading and attempted to ‘walk’ like in my notes and did so around the room before getting woozy and collapsing before puking and passing out.

I woke up and realized I had been bathed and that there was a place for an IV in my foreleg as I looked and saw it and found it was hooked to a blood pack. I then checked the date and found I'd been here for 3 weeks. I saw a locker and attempted to move it toward me with my magic and succeeded and moved it next to me. I opened it and found 5 small boxes of bobby pins as well as some armor that my pipbuck identified as elite riot gear unicorn. It was black, the duster, pants and shirt to go under the chestplate as well as the boots and custom gloves for my new ‘hooves’.
The helmet was black with blue lenses and blue paint streams that ran down almost like tear streams from the blue lenses. I put it on and the hole for my horn was tight enough to fit and keep the helmet and mask airtight other than the rebreather that had hoses for redirection to air tanks in case of possible rebreather failure or other reasons. It fit perfectly, and I read a note on the top shelf that said that the armor could regenerate itself when damaged, and that it rivaled the protection of steel ranger armor. I also felt stronger, magically, and read into it and finding that something called a magic enhancer was implanted in my skull. I also discovered that this facility was never a stable but it was a laboratory for the Enclave via the terminal in my cell that I hacked.
I looked in the mirror after removing my helmet and saw a bald spot on the side of my head that was nearly gone with stitches but other than that my black fur and mane were still intact. My forelegs were a metallic grey and almost looked to not belong. I dressed in the armor before tuning my pipbuck back into the radio, but I didn’t remember turning it off. “Hello Moohave Wasteland. How's every pony doin?”
The normally joyous DJ said clearly attempting to avoid crying for what sounded like the umpteenth time. “It’s now that hour, the news. Last night New Pegasus was infiltrated by ponies and griffins with silenced assault rifles who fought and left with.” The DJ began to cry before saying, “12 casualties and Holly Guitar. Any pony with information please come see me or report to the NCR.”
“There's also an update on our missing NCR Rangers and troopers who were sent to investigate a undisclosed facility, are now considered dead. I'm sorry for the sad news and my lack of composure so here's A new one from Canterlot. This is In The Still Of The Night by The Five Dragons.” She said nearly crying again. I curled up in my armor and fell asleep, dreaming about my first day as a veteran ranger.

“I heard a rumor that the Legion picked up something valuable and are holding out with whatever it is in an old abandoned mine but I hear that only kin of the moon know where it is somehow.” Lone Star said. “You know it isn't good to acknowledge every rumor you hear, right.” I asked as we ate our beans. “Yeah but there's just something odd about it. It almost seems as if it's true though with how I heard about it. There were some strange ponies talking about it, and were a bit too well dressed for Dead Mans Hand.”
Dead Mans Hand was a low budget casino not like on the strip but it was on the outskirts of NCR, Bomber, and Legion territory. “It may not be Legion then if that's the case. Especially at a casino of all places.” I said before taking a swig from my Sparkle Cola and finishing my beans. “Maybe they were slavers.” I said before lighting myself a cigarette.
“Yeah maybe.” Lone said as he lit himself one and stared at the stars over the city. “I can't believe it's 3 in the morning.” I said aloud. “Yep, it feels more like 9 at night.” He said.
“Fuck it I’m curious.” I said before jumping to my hooves, throwing my cigarette and putting on my helmet. “Cover for me.” I told him before galloping down the road west to the Long 15. “Your funeral kid.” The old stallion said as he smoked.
I made it past the Yao Guai den about a mile down the road before following the beginning of Long 15 before cutting North through the desert instinctively. I trotted before hearing music echoing from the cavern ahead. Still Drifting by some pony I don't remember. I snuck up with my big iron ready and floating in front of me. I heard muffled female screaming and laughing as well. I jumped in and saw 3 slavers, one balls deep in an alicorn mare with black fur and a pink mane and tail as well as a golden poppy as her cutie mark. She was blindfolded and gagged and chained to a pipe in the rocks and was forced to stand on her hind legs. The sight pissed me off and I shot the first, threw my knife at the second, and charged at the third before jump kicking his surprised face and slamming his head into the cave wall behind him. I got up and the mare cried and sobbed and I noticed a device that I knew was manufactured by Mr. Horse Industries before the war, a magic inhibitor. I used my magic and un tied the gagg and blindfold and began to attempt the chains but failing before going to remove the ring but as I gripped it with my magic I felt something press against my helmet and I heard a, CLICK. “Not so fast ranger.” The voice seethed “This is my property and I'm not gonna have one of you G.I. fuck nuggets touching what's mine.” “Oh well then let's see what happens.” I said before flicking it off and flinching. KAPOW the gun spat, but I was alive. I turned around and saw a pink shield and an aura of the same color wrapped around his throat. The alicorn had stopped crying and was sniffling as she choked him to death. There was a pool of blood coming from between her legs and I slipped on it and fell when I went to search the newly dead slaver for the keys before standing back up and continuing. She was shaking as I unlocked the chains and she dropped, but I caught her and set her flat gently. I leaned over her and she threw her arms around me in a tight hug before sobbing into my shoulder. She sobbed until she fell asleep, still holding on to me. I wanted to yell at Mr. Horse but I just stood there before lifting her in my magic and carrying her back toward the ranger station. I hated these people but I just had to deal with them. She had stayed by me, hiding behind me like a phole, for the following week before starting to give me space and beginning to go back to normal.

We had been friends for a year and I hadn't seen her for now 4 months, after I had promised that I would still be alive and that we'd hang out when she got back from Coltifornia to register as a citizen. Her name was Poppy Gold and I knew that if I didn't come back that she'd be mad at me. I had awoke after 3 hours and sat in the now dim lights thinking. I had thought of blasting my way out but I figured that this room was made to resist such an attempt. I heard explosions and mechanical voices before I heard a loud, CRASH, and turned to see what I swore was a wall, smashed open and an angry black and pink alicorn in a black dress. In her magic she held an anti machine rifle and she glared at me. “What the fuck dude?!” She exclaimed. “You said we’d meet at the Tops a week ago. You said you'd even make sure to stick with paperwork and desk work because of your luck with these things.” She yelled as she dragged me out of the bunker by my duster’s collar. “You owe me dinner asshole.” She yelled before shooting a sentinel bot, blowing it to shreds. “I was the only other person they had with everyone fighting the Legion, and I used all of my sick days.” I finally said as I was still being dragged. She stopped and held me face to face. Her pink eyes almost glowed with anger and I was surprised that the hibiscus flower in her hair hadn't caught fire. “I was trying to save my vacation days for when you came.” I said frantically, fearing she’d melt my face off. “I'm sorry.” I said just as quick. She closed her eyes and sighed before saying, “It's ok but don’t make promises you can't ke-” she stopped as she noticed my misshapen hind legs and fore hooves. “What did they do to you Moon?” She said in a near whisper. “Let me sum it up by saying the machines turned me into a monster.” I said. A tear, of what I believe was sympathy, leaked from her left eye before she brushed it away and asked, “Did it hurt?” “I don't think you want to know that.” I said. “Oh, so it did. I'm sorry.” She sniffed. “Don't be, you saved me and weren't responsible for it.” I said as she set me down. I stood on my hind legs and began to walk down the hall, next to her. I realized that I now stood about as tall, if not taller than my friend. We managed to leave the bunked as the sun set and as we had I found a riot shotgun and a dagger. We spotted a Legion outpost and Poppy took a position in an old snipers nest on the side of the mountain facing the outpost about five miles away. She reloaded the rifle she called, Harmony, and I looked at it with interest. It was a black gun with gold engravings and with a custom barrel and receiver for more range and damage as well as a night vision scope. “Well? You going or what?” She asked. “Alright.” I said before teleporting within 10 yards. I heard a groan from my left and turned to find a white pegasus with a flowing black mane and a card with the ace of spades as a cutie mark. She had a gut shot wound from a .357 round, is what the lenses on my helmet linked to my upgraded pipbuck said. Critical internal injury medical help required, it read before my compass on the digital lenses showed Legion soldiers nearby. I dropped down and began to search my duster and the bag I stole from the bunker and found pliers and a health potion as well as a bottle of whiskey, bandages, and painkillers. I flipped her on her back and her closed eyelids opened to reveal her red and bloodshot eyes. “Please. You need to get out of here.” She whimpered. “I’m Blue Moon, stay with me you're badly wounded.” I said as I took a syringe full of morphine and injected half of the dosage into her to avoid an overdose. I waited 2 minutes and tried to hold conversation with the dying mare. “What's your name?” I asked as I cleaned the dagger and pliers with the whiskey. “I’m, erg, I’m Spades, Winona Spades.” She said choking back a cry in pain as I poured whiskey on an unused handkerchief, I found in my pocket, and rubbed the wound with it to clean it. I then took the now clean needle nose pliers and began to try and pull out the bullet as I asked, “What do you do for a living?” “I-” she was cut off when she cried out and bit her hoof in pain. I got it in the grip of the pliers and pulled the slug out as she cried out, “I’m a- I’m a- ow. I’m a NCR trooper.” “Keep talking.” I said calmly. “I’m a p-private and I m-m-managed to es-escaped s-s-slavery, m-m-my p-p-platoon w-w-was whipped out.” She panted in pain before crying out the last 2 words and screaming as I yanked the slug out. She passed out and I took a sewing kit from my bag and cleaned the needle and string with the whiskey and began stitching up the wound. I slowly poured the healing potion down her throat and removed my duster. I heard something hit the rocky ground as I took my duster off and wrapped Winona in it. I picked up the black revolver that fell from my coat. I hadn't found it before and the grip was custom for me I thought. It had a note on it and the grip was made of a purple tinted black smooth wood and had a painting of the moon on the barrel with gold engravings flowing from it before changing to a dark purple over the legendary castle in prewar Canterlot. My pipbuck identified it as, The Moon’s Embrace, and the note read, My dearest great great great great great grandson, I wish I could’ve met you and Pinkie Pie tells me you’ll find this and I hope it can helps you in the new world. It will decimate your enemies within 3 shots at most and will do 3 times it’s daytime damage under my moon. Best of luck to you Blue Moon, Luna. The paper was yellow with age and I was confused. I looked in the bag I finally saw on the back of my duster and found 5 boxes of .45 govt. ammo for the enchanted revolver. I loaded 5 rounds into the quick reload cylinders and put them into my pockets and loaded the gun making 6 rounds. I then set off and holstered my gun in the empty holster on my belt. I was stopped at the entrance, as planned, by the outpost guards. I slammed them with a punch as demonstrated by the notes from the bunker. From there I drew my pistol at what felt like light speed, and quickly downed 5 unicorns by shooting and destroying their heads before shooting a thick wall and ricocheting the bullet, killing 3 more before I reloaded as I dove into cover. I heard 2 ponies drop before hearing the loud, POW, from Poppy’s anti machine rifle. I jumped out of cover and shot another 5 ponies before shooting a Legionary griffin and taking a bullet to the shoulder before taking cover and reloading behind the old mini mart at the center of the 10 tents. I heard some pony shout, “That motherfucker is still here! Find him!” I then heard a click behind my head before a low voice said, “Drop the gun.” I flipped around and slapped the gun with my foreleg, sending it flying before pistol whipping and shooting the Legionary hellhound in between the eyes. I then heard three shots echoe before hearing nothing. I went to the entrance door for the mini mart and saw through the broken glass of the double doors that the roof had collapsed. So I walked back to where I found and left the mare before stopping about halfway there before feeling dizzy and stopping. I quickly removed and tossed my helmet and puked before stumbling forward and seeing the slave cages as I fell and passed out. I awoke on a cot in a tent next to Winona, who was curled up in my coat. I saw Poppy walk into the tent before asking, “Are you ok?” “I overexerted myself.” I said. “At least I saved someone before that happened. It’s always teleportation spell.” I said as I looked over at Winona. “How is she.” I asked. “The medic we saved from those Legionaries say she's stable and would've died if you didn't help when you did. She's been missing for 3 years is what the NCR tells me and they didn't believe me when I told them that you're alive. I also scavenged and sold what I could to a traveling merchant.” Poppy said. “Nice. How much did you make?” I asked. “2000 caps.” Poppy said proudly before dumping 1,000 caps next to me. From the 5,000 caps I found in the bunker and gave her 2,500 before saying, “This is your cut from the bunker. Thanks again.” I said. I shoved the caps she gave me into my bag before asking, “How long was I out?” “2 days. About as long as she's been under.” Poppy said as she changed the bandages over my left hind leg and re cleaning the bullet wound. “Thanks.” I said when she finished. I then got up and got dressed in my armor again. I left my coat draped over Winona and walked out of the tent, limping in pain. I reloaded the used quick reload cylinders and my gun before turning on the radio and hearing In the Mood by Glenn Green before ending and playing April Showers by Sweetie Bell. I hadn’t put on my helmet and I pulled my cigarettes and lighter and lit and smoked a cigarette as I watched the sun rise.

Author's Note

I'm not a very good writer so thanks for your time.

Heartaches by the Number

You may be wondering why I attacked a Legion camp instead of going home or even what they are. They are basically a bunch of slavers who made a government together. I have asked myself the same, why didn't I just go home. I was scared to face my now ex because I killed her brother. I don't want to go anymore into this topic. Now I must ask. Why are you still here? Especially those here before hearing the tale of Little Pip. That is a better story. This isn’t necessarily the best of stories to hear or read. Moving on, I finished smoking my second fag as I heard the cloth of the tent flap open followed by a yawn and a moan in pain. I then heard the crunching of gravel come closer before stopping next to me. “You got another one of those?” The female voice asked with a groan. I slapped the pack on my hand, I think, and held the pack with the exposed butt, out for her to grab. She took it with her teeth and I held out my lit lighter and lit her stogie. She smoked before asking, “Blue Moon huh? Aren't you dead?” “Close enough.” I said as I smoked and watched the sun. “I love watching the sunrise, even if I’m more of a night pony. When I first saw the sun, I was a slave to the Legion at age 10 and it gave me hope for something better. So I escaped." I said. “Thanks. Those bastards shot me and left me for dead.” She said. “No problem.” I said. “The NCR said they won’t let me rejoin their ranks.” She said. “May I join you?” She asked. “Sure but I'm not sure what you think you're gonna get from joining us.” I said as I stomped out the cigarette butt I dropped. “You look strange for a pony.” She said. “I didn’t always look like this. The leftover Enclave robots did this and I found out that they did it using my comrades leftovers and cybernetics.” I said. “Oh.” She said. “Get ready, we need to get you some armor which means going to Gun Trotters.” I said. “I don't have anything, so I guess I'm ready.” She said. Poppy trotted out of the tent and said, “Go on I’m gonna set up our stuff at the cabins at lake Reed.” So I put on my coat and helmet before I walked through the desert to the north and Winona finished smoking as she trotted next to me. She was unarmed and I was anxious. “You got any extra guns?” She asked. “A riot shotgun with no ammo.” I said. “Could I have it for appearance?” She asked. I handed it to her as we crossed the desert. She shivered, understandably with it being winter time. I tossed my coat to her and she said, “I didn't ask you to lend me your coat.” “Well I didn't ask for a Marizona pegasus.” She glared at me before stopping and putting it on. We went until we saw two ponies walking eastbound. One was a pegasus and the other was a unicorn mercenary that was marked red on my EFS. He was dragging the pegasus on a leash and her wings were bound. I drew my pistol and shot the merc in all 4 legs and he screamed out in pain and the pegasus yelled, “Please don't shoot I’m unarmed!” I walked up and shot him in the head before I asked, “Who are you?” “I’m Holly Guitar!” She exclaimed as she flinched. I removed the collar and cut the leather bindings off of her wings as she said, “Please don’t hurt me.” “Go on, you're free.” I said as I walked away with Winona. “That's it?” She yelled after us. “Unless you want to follow us.” Winona yelled back. I saw 2 red tick marks on my EFS and used my SATS to find what they were but it couldn't track anything. I dropped to a prone position as the sniper shots sounded. POW POW! “HAHAHA MOTHERFUCKER DIE!” The raider yelled after laughing. I jumped to my hooves and heard a gunshot before time slowed for a moment and I, astounded, twisted to the side and saw the bullet wiz past before drawing my gun and tracing where it came from, drawing my gun and firing twice as time resumed. I shot at the second position after the first tick disappeared and I shot at the second until I heard a scream from the second. The light winked out and the air filled with now visible gore. I turned and saw both mares on the ground, Holly was shaking. I kept walking and Winona followed, and Holly took flight and followed until it began to rain. I saw a bench and out of curiosity sat down and motioned for my 2 companions to join me. “What are you doing?” Winona asked. “I want to test something to travel faster.” I said before Winona sat next to me. “What did you have in mind?” Holly asked before sitting next to me. I wrapped us in a shield spell Poppy showed me and lifted the bench with us on it and floated us at speed through the desert. “Woah, this is way faster than trotting.” Holly said as we flew a couple feet off the ground. We made it 5 miles in 2 minutes before I landed us, exhausted. We were 3 miles from Neighlis and the second Gun Trotters location. We made it onto the ex pegasus air base and were trading some things we found along the way. Winona got a set of Enclave armor with the two headed ursa major of the NCR painted on the flank as well as a brown duster for a pegasus and Holly got a leather jacket with the same symbol. I also bought Holly a 5 shooter .357 magnum with 10 rounds and 75 shotgun shells and mags that held 25 each for the riot shotgun. I managed to make a 400 cap profit after exchanging what we found and using my bartering skills to talk down the prices. I gave them 200 each and we went to the mess hall next to the old cloud bomber, and bought something for dinner. I noticed for the first time, after taking off my armor for the night, I got my cutie mark, a shield with a blue crescent moon on it. “Hmmm.” I said thoughtfully before going to sleep. We had rented a house for the night after traveling the whole day. I awoke on the floor at 1 in the morning. It was still raining outside and Winona slept on the couch while Holly slept on the bed. I stepped out, flipping my collar back up after it folded back in my sleep. I removed my helmet and left it at the door as I stepped out and lit up a smoke under the overhang of the roof and watched the rain come down as I smoked. I sat on the porch furniture and smoked as the Bomber’s guards patrolled the airfield. The Bombers were an armed and polite society that came from stable 120 and left for reasons I don't know, but they were allies of the NCR and were the only pegasi on the ground before the Enclave fell. They owned an old cloud bomber to destroy the dragons but remained unused. They would make routine bomb runs over the Neighlis bombing range and the porch had a good view of their deadly accuracy. They trained for this every morning, for the battle against the Legion. I watched until I noticed that Winona had joined me in her armor. “This armor hugs my flanks a little more enjoyably than I’d like to admit.” She muttered to herself as she flipped up her collar. “Morning Winona.” I said as she removed her helmet. Her face was engulfed with a bright red blush. I was confused so I asked, “Are you ok?” “I, uh. Y-yes.” She stuttered. I handed her a cigarette and lit it for her as she stared off into space. “I’m sorry it’s that time of the month I just need at least 10 minutes alone.” She said almost whispering with embarrassment. She finished smoking and galloped to the bathroom at nearly light speed while I went inside to cook up the mac and cheese I bought yesterday. When I finished I began to take stock of my inventory and I noticed a new note as I switched from my radio. It said my armor had a danger detection spell that could slow time that enchanted it but warned that it was experimental and the effects were unknown and possibly dangerous. I put bowls and forks on the table and served the food as Winona came back in and set her helmet and goggles on the table before sitting across from me. “I’m sorry. I’m used to having, overstimulation down there and I went from that to none which is rough. I’m sorry for the aquard morning.” She said shakily before Holly came trotting from the room, yawning. “Good morning.” She said. “What time is it?” She asked. I checked my pipbuck and said, “2:20 a.m..” Her eyes went wide before saying, “Damn it's early.” I checked my pipbuck out of curiosity for my perks and other than my cyber enhancements and implants I had gotten my cutie mark perk, Protector in the night, which gave me a higher damage threshold and I also had many others. When my companions finished eating I cleaned the dishes and they got ready before we left. We went along for 3 miles southeast before we found a raider camp and sacked it. I attacked from the ground and my companions strafed and shot. “DIE PRICK!” A raider screamed as he threw a grenade that I levitated back, killing 4 and I jumped out of cover before waving at the last 3 raiders as my companions came back for another run, ripping them to shreds. We took what we could find and Holly swapped her .357 for a 50 caliber battle saddle machine gun before we continued walking/trotting toward lake Reed. We arrived outside of another Legion outpost called, Broken AJ Ranger Outpost. Taken over only 3 years ago hence the ‘Broken’ name for it. “We doing this?” Winona asked. “Let's get them.” Holly and I said in unison. We charged in, 2 by air and me by land. A wall of bullets caused me to jump above it and fire to the street of the compound. The 3 bullets ricochet and hit 5 ponies and Legion zebras before I hit the ground, right shoulder first. I landed in a ditch as another wall of bullets whizzed by. I saw the pegasi fly over me for another strafing run and I jumped up and charged in and shot 3 ricocheting rounds that killed 10. I jumped and time slowed again as I quickly reloaded and shot 2 griffins that were shooting at where I was before I jumped higher than my companions strafing altitude and killing 8 from the air. I flipped and landed on my hooves before holstering my gun and drawing the silver dagger from my belt. I charged into a wave of 5 Legionaries and dodged a wave of bullets and pushed off of the ground and stabbed the first before jumping off of him and landing, dagger first, on the next one’s head before taking 2 rounds to the back of my armor repeating and killing 2 with quick jabs with the dagger. I heard a, CLICK CLICK, from a brush gun as I stood back up. “Give it up. You're done.” The Legionary said as he pointed his gun. He dropped in a flurry of bullets and and his blood. Before we left, we used the ham radio to tell the NCR that the compound was clear. We left and walked the last mile until we arrived at the cabins. It was beautiful, the cabins were built on a dock and the lake was as clear as dirty glass. We arrived and Poppy came out to greet us. We retired in our own cabins and I fell asleep. I woke up and began cleaning and repairing everyone's guns and with my experience I didn't need to use the guns we scavenged. I also began cooking beans and bacon when a red and orange stallion with a stable jumpsuit and a 10mm pistol in his mouth and it's strap around his neck. I looked up at him as he approached and he froze and dropped his gun. “Ranger?” He asked. “Ex ranger Blue Moon. Who are you?” I responded. “Ex resident of stable 125 and now a courier. The names James, James Blume.” He said. “Mind if I sit down?” He asked. “Not at all. Just remember that I’m not here alone.” I said before adding another serving for the newcomer in the cooking pot and began to mash it and stir it with my magic while I cleaned Harmony. “What happened to you,” Blume asked. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Your forelegs and the way your hind legs are bent.” He said. “Don’t worry about it.” I said. “Ok.” He said. I finally finished cooking and handed him a bowl of it and made myself a bowl and began to eat. “So, what brings you he-” I was cut off by a moan I heard from Winona’s cabin. “What happened?” Blume asked, clearly haven't heard what I had. “Nothing. What brings you here? I asked. “I just saw you down here and decided to investigate.” He said. I finished eating before lighting myself a fag and smoking. I then finished cleaning the gun before putting it back together while Blume ate. I finished and put the guns in there places knowing that Holly and Poppy were asleep. I knocked on Winona’s door and she answered it, hiding all but her face behind the door. “Yes.” She squeaked. She was blushing profusely before asking in an embarrassed whisper, “What is it?” “I cleaned and repaired your shotgun.” I said. She reached out and grabbed it before squeaking an apology and closed the door.” I walked back to the camp and saw that Poppy had just sat down and began eating. I sat down next to her and she greeted me. “Good morning.” “Morning Poppy.” I said. “I cleaned and maintained Harmony for you.” I said. “Thank you.” She said, smiling at me. “No problem.” I said. After introducing the stable dweller, who’d been out of the stable for half a month, he asked to join us and learn how to better survive the wasteland. We left an hour later, headed northwest. We stopped 5 miles from Pipton, 10 miles away and I watched the stars. I was smoking and almost dropped it when Holly surprised me when she almost appeared next to me and said. “I love this view. It reminds me of when I was a filly and I used to watch the stars with my dad.” She said. I also discovered my feelings for Olivia under them. Her blue mane almost shimmered in the moonlight and her guitar cutie mark seemed to do the same. She had white fur that reminded me of the whitest of pearls. I was thinking this but realized that I was just tired. “I always wanted to go on an adventure. Just not like this.” She said. “Like this?” I asked. “I was kidnapped in my sleep. I never got to prepare or say goodbye to Olivia.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry.” I said. “It's ok I just want to find the bastard who ordered the hit.” She said. We watched the stars and exchanged stories until we fell asleep. When we awoke, something was off. It was quiet, too quiet. I stood up and used my EFS but couldn't find anything. I began to doubt that when a shot hit at my hooves followed by a, KAPOW. I yelled and everyone grabbed their guns. We had camped out on a mountain side and ran into the mine that we camped outside of. We ended up splitting up and they charged in, lighting my EFS red. I ran to the left and Blume followed, I then took a right at the end of the passage only to run into a dead end. I ran back and turned the corner, took 5 steps and found myself cornered as they turned the corner and open fired. “Shit.” I said when my armor didn't slow time, clearly sensing that I didn't have a chance. I lowered my head and the bullets struck, my body caught fire with pain and my vision blurred as I barely managed to stand and watch the blood drain from my body. “Are you fucking stupid!? We needed him alive! Now we won't find and kill Holly!” I heard a voice yell. It was strange sounding, almost as if I was at the bottom of a well and he was yelling from the top. Before I thought anymore though, I fell and hit the ground like a bunch of rocks. I choked and struggled to breathe as I drowned in my blood filling lungs. I figured I'd die of my stomach contents getting in my bloodstream or other places, causing infection or worse, if I survived the whole lung thing, so I began to try and make peace with myself and others before I found myself being dragged out of the mine. I never saw the morning light because I passed out and hadn't been ready to die yet so I kind of panicked and most likely caused more blood loss. I awoke, or so I thought, in a waiting room made of clouds and big monitors mounted on the wall. Next to me sat a rainbow maned pegasus who looked at her pipbuck and complained about being late. I saw the logo for stable 2 flash onto the monitor before I actually did wake up. I felt pain and saw that I was on an old metal bed frame tipped upright, and I was held there by hoof cuffs, I hung upright and saw metal clamps on the frame and my body was covered in bandages. I barely managed to lift my head and I started hearing an argument. “Hey asshole, I couldn't stabilize him, he's still on a breathing machine for shit sake, if you zap him with that, not only will it kill the breathing machine, but it will also stop his heart. You can't torture him in other ways either if you want info, in his current state he'll go into shock and or would die of blood loss. He already lost ⅓ of his blood already if not more.” The female voice said. “Then why did we waste our resources on this piece of shit.” The man said as I realized that I didn't have anything on my horn and that they didn't know what I could do. I teleported into the next room as they argued in the office with no windows and I thanked the goddesses as I crawled through the empty halls and heard that they only caught me. I found my armor and gun. My armor repaired itself and my gun was loaded. I lifted myself with my magic and also used it to get dressed and holster my gun. I turned on the radio in my helmet just in time to hear Poppy say that they were at the Bomber’s airfield. I then held myself to the ceiling with my magic and listened to the argument. “What the hell did you get me into Dust?” The mare asked. “My employer is trying to drive Olivia to suicide so we can take over the radio station and influence the Moohave with stable tech technology from stable 117.” I heard the plan and now for the employer. “Who hired you?” She asked but suddenly the room exploded and was still in flames when I teleported away. I did it again, I used too much magic and passed out. I awoke and found myself 1 mile from the airfield and I was being circled by what I thought were balefire phoenix It was raining again and my body hurt as I struggled to breathe. I was on my back looking up at the rainy sky before Holly stood over me, face to face, trying to see if I was still alive. I tried to speak but I couldn't breath and my armor was prompting health warnings. I felt pain for 3 minutes from my forelegs traveling to my lungs before it stopped and I could breathe again and my armor warned me that it didn't sense my lungs and told me to seek immediate medical attention. Holly dragged me by the collar and as she did I felt pain in my chest before it moved back to my forelegs and disappearing. I could breath and my lungs were sensed once again. I was confused but I told Holly to put me down. “Sorry.” She said. “It's ok.” I said. “You know what? You remind me of my dad. He was always getting hurt even though we lived in a stable.” She said as I stood up. “You were a stable dweller?” I asked as I turned on my radio and transmitted a message in morse code through my police radio as she spoke to me. It was to radio tower alpha on the outskirts of New Pegasus which would transmit to the radio studio. “Yes, I was a guitarist for the stable’s band before security tried to rape me after my last show and I ran out of the stable. That was 2 years ago. I actually met DJ Olivia when we were both little, we hated each other because of our tastes in music and she ended up leaving the stable after her dad committed suicide. I ran into her 5 years later, we were 15. We didn't really fall in love until last year and she taught me her 5 years of survival experience the best she could.” She said before pausing and growing deadly quiet and saying to me as I reviewed my transmission through my pipbuck. “Um, Mr. Blue. Manticores.” She said, causing me to freeze. “Shit.” I whispered to myself. I then twisted around and drew my dagger, my pistol ammo was stolen, and I sprinted toward the three manticores and yelled at Holly to fly away. I jumped on one and began stabbing it in the head as one jumped on me and began to chew through my helmet and the other charged at Holly. I managed slit the throats of both before I heard Holly’s battle saddle open fire. The holes in my helmet closed up and the third dropped. Holly stood in a battle stance panting and I just had a massive headache. We stood stunned before laughing in triumph. We eventually began to travel again and I noticed a switch on my torn sleeve and flipped it before seeing my forelegs and hind legs were normal again other than the obvious metallic color of my forelegs. Holly looked on in amazement as I fell on all fours again. She smirked at me before we trotted off to the north. As we trotted Holly said, “I need a drink.”

Failure

There are advantages to technology. It’s kept me alive so far and it's helped me communicate with you and share my adventures across this wonderful land. Thanks for staying this long. We walked into the bar in a border town in Neighvada and Marizona called Alto. It was now a town known for its musicians and its alcohol. We walked into a bar an I heard DJ Olivia say on the speakers in the old wood bar, “This is the Gears and guest guitarist Holly Guitar and guest singer Velvet Remedy in Wild Thing, enjoy.” Before the new song played on the radio. We took a seat in the booth next to the pool table and I hit the switch on my foreleg to change before we ordered a bottle of whiskey and shot glasses. Holly had challenged me to shots and I accepted the challenge. The drinks arrived and we poured the first shots before knocking them back. We made it to shot 10 before she was drunk and 5 more before she gave up while I was still just slightly tipsy. We left and she puked and we rented a hotel room for the night and slept. We passed Nobuck at dawn the day after the following day and were headed toward the NCR outpost on Long 15. My plan was to have her escorted to New pegasus while I watched from afar just in case the people who plotted against her would appear. I was banned from New Pegasus but I didn't know if they would've removed me from the list, seeing as how I was technically dead to everyone who knew I existed. So we followed the street and noticed that there was clear signs of an ambush from the Gunpowder gang. Signs of T.N.T. and nitroglycerin detonations. This caused me to pay a bit more attention to my surroundings. The ground was cracking and mostly covered in gravel and mud and it was wet and reflected the moon and starlight. It was chilly and the landscape was barren and almost empty other than the cacti, dry bushes, yucca plants, agave plants, and the old destroyed rest stop up ahead on the right side of the road. We managed to pass without any trouble and I saw the lights of the old outpost up the steep hill. We trotted around cars and I used the switch again and began to walk. We arrived and she went into the main building while I traded for some proper apparel and finished just in time to see a group of troopers and 3 rangers marveling at me. I overheard a trooper whisper say, “It's the crying ranger.” I heard another whisper, “It’s the midnight ranger.” Then a ranger walked up to me and said, “Thanks for helping the NCR.” He held out his hoof and I reached down and shook it. I then walked to the main building just as Holly stepped out and met me before saying, “They don't have the manpower apparently.” She looked down and pawed at the ground. I sighed before teleporting her onto the strip and then doing so to myself. I appeared right next to her before passing out. I awoke on my left side the next morning, I assumed, when I was jolted from a bad dream. I didn't remember what it was but I heard and felt movement behind me and rolled over to see Poppy curled up next to me under the covers of the comfortable bed. I was a bit confused and when I got out of bed I fell and realized that I didn't have my cybernetic legs and I found that I was wrapped in bloody bandages. Poppy awoke and galloped to me after hearing me hit the ground, and lifted me in her telekinesis as she said, “Oh my stars are you ok? I’m sorry I let this happen, and you already got burned when you were teleporting here so this doesn't help.” I could tell she was tired by the way she babbled on but I was more astonished that I overused my magic enough to burn myself. I began to shake at the thought of melting my flesh away after teleporting too much. “Mr. Horse told a courier to deliver this to you.” I finally heard her say after snapping from my thoughts back to reality. She was holding a black box in front of me and inside was a silenced chrome .45 pistol with the same engravings as the Rude Awakening but instead of the moon there was the sun and gold engravings of it's rays. It read on the pearl grip, Light at The End, in small gold cursive writing. The note was faded and my painkillers seemed to think that it was a good time to wear off as I tried to read and my body was flooded with pain from all over and Poppy stuck me with some med x, which usually puts me to sleep, and the pain disappeared as well as my consciousness. This is about when we began to speak, or when you began to listen. I found myself in a dark room, sitting across a metal table with someone who I had seen before. “Hello Daisy, we haven't spoken since the night you died.” She was a unicorn ghoul with patches of her yellow coat and white mane missing and a daisy for a cutie mark. “Then I guess you know why I’m here.” She was a fortune teller who helped me escape the slavers of the legion on the day the sun returned. “Kid, I’m gonna be blunt. You're dying, not of the wounds you've sustained, but of a tumor in your brain. You've got to stop using your magic like you have. You still need to save the wasteland even if it won't be you doing it. Just a warning that I hope you heed.” She then disappeared, leaving me in the room. I saw a picture frame and inside it was a picture of me as a baby next to a pegasi that looked like Winona. I was confused but remembered that Daisy usually leaves me clues to important things, and realized that I may not get it now but I need to remember it so I can. I awoke with my cybernetics and I was in a wheelchair faced toward the window. Below the high window I looked out of was the roulette board shaped building of the Jackpot casino and hotel. I was on the strip, more specifically, I was in the New Pegasus News Radio building and of course the place Mr. Horse hides. I heard hoof steps behind me and I turned to see the disc jockey herself. DJ Olivia was a thin black coated earth pony with a silvery well groomed mane as well as a radio for a cutie mark and she wore a black bowtie. “Hello, I'm Olivia and I must thank you for returning the love of my life to me.” She spoke with the elegance of a symphony and as if she was from Canterlot or Trottingham. “Ma'am I’m honored to meet you and to have helped Holly and yourself.” I tried to stand but I couldn't and I think that she noticed this when she said, “I was told to warn you not to move. Poppy told me that the motors on your limbs are damaged and that Mr. Horse has hired an expert with his cybernetics.” Time seemed to stop when she said that. “This is Mr. Horse’s cybernetics?” My voice wavered as I tried to speak in horror. “Yes, you didn't know?” So this was his doing. I lost my comrades, my friends, to Mr. Horse. I couldn't say anything and I couldn't breathe. I didn't notice that she was wheeling me down the black and red painted hallways of the ex casino/hotel toward the elevators. “Winona was worried about you and has been asking to see you for the past 2 days and has been staying in a sweet here, waiting to speak with you.” At her words I began to wonder what Winona was eager to tell me. We reached the elevator and Olivia pushed the elevator button for floor 21 after we stepped in. “You don't have to waste your time and energy pushing me, it's ok.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah I can do it.” The elevator stopped and with a DING the doors opened revealing a horrific sight. The room had been ransacked and Winona was tied to the bed in the next room. Olivia gasped and I floated myself out of the chair and through the room with a kitchen knife in my maw. I looked at my pipbuck and the eyes forward sparkle showed one enemy and nothing else. the bar disappeared 2 minutes after I heard the glass window shatter. Winona was dead but not long enough for me not to try. I charged a bolt of magic and shocked her awake before I dropped and slammed face first into the ground as I heard Winona gasp for air before coughing and crying as she writhed in her bonds. I had an extremely bad headache and couldn't muster the strength to lift myself in magic. “Oh my goddesses, Winona!” “Goddesses damnit Blue. You shouldn't have done that even if she was hurt, you could kill yourself.” “I realize this but whatever you might've come up with would've taken too long and would've lead to brain death.” I could barely move so I found myself speaking into the red shag carpet. “Can you help Winona out already?” “Ok.” Winona sobbed before trying to say something I couldn't hear as my ears began to ring and my vision began to blur. I heard music echoing however and I heard a distant thump and the sound of distant gunshots. I was dreaming and found I was in a trench with bullets flying overhead. I was wearing my old trooper armor and held an old service rifle in my magic. “HAIL CAESAR!” I heard these chants over the gunfire and stood before firing into no ponies land on the border of the Marizona and Neighvada desert separating our trenches. I killed one and a bullet grazed my ear as I dropped below cover. “Holy shit I can’t believe there's still people alive." I turned toward the voice and saw a fellow trooper. I didn't remember this battle but I knew, even through the facewrap, who it was. “Private Winona where's Sergeant Windfree he had a Fat Colt!” “They shot him with a Zeebratser. He’s a crater.” Just as she said that she ducked next to me and reloaded her rifle. “Corporal Blue Moon as I live and breathe. The boys and I’ve nominated you for ranger training, all you gotta do is get home.” “We need to get ho-" I never finished as I was blown away with an explosion. I awoke on a couch. Poppy stood in front of me, glaring. “You idiot!” She slapped me in the face before continuing her lecture which lasted 20 minutes. “Now go talk to Winona.” She finished as she hugged me with tears in her eyes. I actually stood and walked out on all fours and Olivia was waiting outside the room with Holly. I walked through the hall toward the next room and I opened the door. Inside on the bed lay Winona. She sat and preened her wings. She noticed when I walked in and she sped past me and slammed the door. She then walked back to the bed and I sat on an armchair facing her. “I know who's trying to take over the radio.” “The Enclave remnants teamed up with Caesar and are trying to take over the wasteland.” “That pegasus Olivia employed had some documents that said a lot and he tried to find the documents when he attacked me.” “What were the documents?” “Cloud city passports and a note identifying Legion operatives in New Pegasus.” “Where are they.” “The documents.” “On your pipbuck.” “Let's go.” I went back to the room I awoke in and grabbed some clothes. a white formal shirt, a black tie, and a black sweater vest. She wore a pink dress and black stockings. and had braided her mane and tail. She saw me staring at the stockings and said, “What, they're comfortable.” We then left to the NCR embassy. I slammed my hoof on the desk and said, “Bullshit you don’t have the manpower, these are Legion spies we’re talking about not a laughing matter.” I was yelling at Colonel Shoe Shine of camp McCloud. I found no help at the embassy and now no help here either. “Sorry Moon but you're dead and I can’t give soldiers to a dead pony.” “Fine but I still can’t let this stand.” We left after that and walked into the wasteland. “So much for that, where are we going.” “I gotta talk to an old friend." We walked over to the gate to freedom field. “You don't mean Kingpin do you?” “I do.” The gate opened with a screech from metal on metal. Before long I was in the Balefire Wrangler pub next to a palomino pony with a tommy gun for a cutie mark and a .45 pistol from the Manehattan police department before the war. A 3 century old gun that still beat it's opponents to Celestia and back. Winona was drinking whiskey like water as me and Kingpin spoke. “I’m glad you aren't dead my friend.” Kingpin was the son of a Legion slaver who escaped with me and became a mobster who was now the boss of the gangs of Freedom Field. “Mr. Horse used me and my squad of troopers as test subjects but I survived.” “That's good. Who's the broad?” “I don’t remember but I know that the legion used her like a bedtime toy for a virgin.” “Those bastards.” Kingpin was a supporter of the Followers of the apocalypse, giving them caps and a hospital/laboratory as well as guards and guns. He loathed the Legion for the same reason I did but didn't agree with the NCR like I did. “Indeed and I think that we actually fought in the same platoon during the battle for Hoofer dam.” “That's odd that you're starting to remember that. The Followers said that the shrapnel had damaged your brain enough for you not to remember the battle.” He then took a drink of his rum. “True. I think it's Daisy.” With that he choked and spit up his drink. “What? But the Legion killed her.” “I think not. You remember how good she was with magic. She might just be talking to me from somewhere else.” “True but that's hard to believe.” He finally shoved the bottle aside and looked at me with his big brown eyes. “This is off topic but have you joined the Followers?” “I'm too evil so I don't wish to taint them with my presence among their ranks. All I can do is fund and protect them and the people.” “That excuse again. Oh well you're stubborn. I need your help.” “True. What do you need?” “The Enclave is back and has teamed up with the Legion.” “Those bastards. What are they up to?” “They're trying to take over New Pegasus and the radio so they can disrupt the weather towers and close the skies.” “That may explain why my men can’t get ahold of Black Mare Mountain.” Kingpin then began speaking again and said, “Give me the list of names I have a feeling that they may need New Pegasus to fix the satellite dishes on Black Mare.” I connected our pipbucks with my download key and copied the files to his and when it finished he sighed and said in a low serious tone, “Goddesses speed Blue Moon.” He then gathered his goons around the bar and left. I looked toward Winona who slept next to me with an empty bottle of whiskey by her head. Another pony took the place of Kingpin and I carried Winona out of the bar.