Borderland: Friendship is futile

Chapters

rude awakening
lyra's berg
making house calls
sanctuary
insecurities
the stronghold
crashing down
the arena
Cutthroat
rise of the crimson raiders
aftermath

rude awakening

“Oh look at all these dead bodies. It’s a shame really, but… Hey, rest in peices...I guess.” a shrill high pitched voice says.

“Help.” I whimper, my voice barely above a whisper. My body hurts, i can barely move. I’m so tired. It’s so cold that i can see my breath against the ground and hear the air scream as it blows.

“One’s alive!!!!” the voice cheers, waddling towards me. It scans me. “Yep, alive. Barely, but that’s something.”

I feel something stab into me, filling me with adrenaline. I jump up, dizzy but ready to fight. Everything was happening too fast, my mind trying to catch up and doing a lousy job of it. I’m not even sure if it is the ground or if it's me that’s swaying right now.

“Vault Hunter! Welcome back to the realm of the living!” the voice says, cheerfully. I blink to find a bat shaped robot. It’s name was scratched out at the top but still legible. B4TT-RY. Battery?

“How do you know my name?”

“I didn’t!” Battery exclaims, a bit too cheerful. It waddles around me. I notice the crack in its lens and it’s broken, nearly torn off right wing. Almost silent whirs and clicks went off as the robot thought and analyzed. “Oh, what luck that I have! With your help, we can rescue my master’s beloved waifu and the package that we were tasked to deliver.”

I blink at the robot. Waifu? What?

My stomach rumbles If this robot can lead me to people, maybe it can lead me to a decent meal afterwards. And some shelter.

“Fine.”

I sigh. I trot over to the dead bodies of my comrades, picking their pockets for ammunition and money. It’s not like they are going to need it anymore. Boy am i lucky that we had just got done raiding a vault when we were ambushed.

I pretended to not mind the lingering warmth of each pony body i touched. My magic wouldn't penetrate the gear they had on, the material made especially for things like that. As i pickpocket them, i said my own little goodbyes and prayer in my head.

I land upon the head chief of our group, Secret Tale.

She was easily the toughest filly in our group, smart and skilled. Even though she was just an earth pony, she was able to do things that most couldn’t. She was strong and firm, but caring all the same. I remember her taking me in after she raided my village...she didn’t care if my family was psychos or not.

Her goggles rest upon her neck, her signature gun laying next to her. She created her own guns and ammunition from any spare guns she happens to pick up after a successful raid. She affectionately named her gun, “the Messenger”. She said it was an inside joke, but i never got it.

I take off her goggles to find a key and an envelope. I take the key and place it in my inventory for safe keeping. The envelope was affectionately signed to Silver Bullet it even bearing a cutie mark. I never heard of them, but i place the envelope in my inventory just in case.

“Ready when you are, i guess.” I say. Battery wobbles over to me.

“Great! I can lead you there! At least , to the best of my abilities, my lens is cracked.”

I roll my eyes, helping Battery get on my back.

Before trotting off, i only thought it would be fair to set my gang on fire, allowing their bodies and souls to rest in peace. I shoot two fire bullets, engulfing the bodies instantly. My eyes burned from the rancid smell (and not because i’m emotional) but i salute them one last time.

“Heat signature on the horizon!” Battery warns, waving their hands in the air. I glance around but see nothing and no one.

Heat signatures?

Bullymongs jump off the glacier peaks of the mountains, landing in the snow bank below, surrounding us. I quickly pull out “the messenger” and shoot at them, trying to clear a path for us to escape.

“Switching to defense mode.” Battery updates me.

I keep my corrosive bullets, there being a scarce amount of them already. I hit them with one shock bullet each, giving me an opening to bury as many normal ammunition in them as possible. Battery was shooting corrosive lasers to lighten the load a bit.

It hurt as the swiped at me, pain splitting through my body, but it is part of the job and a bit of the thrill in battle. I double over in pain only to return it tenfold. Any blood spilled will be pay for in the long run.

When the battle was over, i quickly loot their bodies. I recycle most of the ammo that was used, because i was running low on bullets and i don’t think i will be coming upon them anytime soon. Any guns or grenades was picked up. They can be useful later or scrapped later for parts or money.

I happen upon three pieces of Eridium while looting the largest one. That will definitely come in handy.

“Come, mighty Vault Hunter!” Battery chimes.”The fair waifu awaits.”

“My master’s waifu makes the best muffins in all of Pandora. How her cutie mark isn’t a muffin, I’ll never know.”

“Food is scarce here in Pandora, since the soil is only radiation free in certain spots. Ration are usually transported and sorted once a month, but this month’s delivery has been less and late. I wonder why that is?”

“Have you ever had Sugar Muffin’s pastries? They’re to die for! Literally. They only sell their products once a month and they are first come first serve. I wonder what her secret recipe is.”

I roll my eyes, continuing our journey. I listen to the nonsense Battery spouts as we go. Eventually it got annoying, especially since it kept reminding me how hungry i was.

“Battery. Can you stop talking about food, please? Tell me about this package you was supposed to deliver. How did you get separated from the “Waifu” in the first place?”

“Funny answer to that, actually. We was cornered by psychos and i went to seek help. She was then captured by the parrot, Bloodbeak and his minions.”

In other word, he abandoned her to fend for herself. Real classy, Battery.

“You don’t think anything bad happened to her, do you?”

“Negative. Nobody would ever dream of hurting the master’s waifu!”

We come across a bandit camp that surrounded what looks like a fallen skyship that was partially sunken into the ice. Great.

“I sense the waifu’s presence!” Battery says, cheerfullly. Sadly, it was a bit too loud, alerting all the bandits that i was there.

I sigh, pulling out my gun again, firing at will. I ignore all their disturbingly lewd and angsty remarks, focusing on getting to the boat. I loot their body as i go, ammo and money only. I notice there was some radios, static running through them. Battery quickly transferred the frequency.

“Forgot something?” says a mocking, gravelly voice. A parrot-man comes out of the shadows at the the very top of the ship wreckage. A cage dazzled from the bowsprit, it holding a gray filly pegasus pony.

“Release my master’s waifu! You coward.”

“And miss out on her cute little bubble butt. You’ll have to come get her.” He threatens. Scythids, Crabworms, and Spiderants flooded the area. Rakks flew in the air.

“Oh you gotta be kidding me!”

There are times i wish i had stronger spells and magic then just levitating and making shields. This is one of those many times.

I didn’t even try to attempt to kill all the bug-things. I just decided to shoot a couple, enrage them, and let them duke it out on their own. It wasn’t much of a stretch, them fighting over the one pony that they could eat. Add some random grenades in places and our escape was almost guaranteed.

A little trick i learned from Secret Tale.

“Isn’t she a pretty little birdy?” Bloodbeak cackle maniacally, tapping at the cage. The pegasus looks less than pleased, pushing herself to the otherside of the cage.

“Aww, don’t be like that now. I just wanna have fun with ya before we cook ya up and eat ya.”

I jump onto the ship, charging for the cage. I duck into rooms, scavenging the ammo i come across and behind storage crates to lessen the crossfire damage. Battery tried their best to keep up and lessen the numbers and stakes.

Eventually we gave up looting, telling ourselves that we’d come back for the haul afterwards.

“Eep, look out!” the waifu squeaks.

The parrot man falls from the sky, perching in front of me with what look like a mini submachine gun at the ready. The bullets sprawled out, causing me to duck.

“We need a plan!” I groan, low health. My stomach growled, protesting me from using any more energy. I knew hiding like this was futile, but i could use the little regeneration points i was getting by doing so. “Like a really good plan.”

“I have a plan!” Battery exclaims, hopping off my back and waddling away.“ Continue fighting Bloodbeak.”

“Battery, if you run off and i survive. I will hunt you down and so help me…” I growl.

I jump out, giving my fight everything i got, which wasn’t saying much. I waited for him to reload most of the time to get any quality shots in, not wanting to waste my bullets or any chances.

“Two ponies in one day, Pandora must have blessed me!” He exclaims, threatening smile on his face that sent a chill down your spine.

A bullet right to the thigh and i fall, my gun sliding across the deck.

Oh,no. Oh no. No no no!

“ Time to let the bird out of the cage!” Battery exclaims, shooting the post in which the cage hung. The cage drops down, landing on Bloodbeak with a sicking “Plop!”

Blood poured from under the cage, splattered across the metal floor.The pegasis inside spread her wings out to lighten her fall, letting out a little shriek on her way down. She still inside with a soft “Thunp” however, her head hitting on of the bars of the cage.

She shakes her head before looking up.

“Oh, hello.”she smiles. “I’m Derpy.” The mare looked at me kind of embarrassed. She was super cute. “Oh, i just don’t know what went wrong! Can you open this cage? It’s kinda stuffy in here.”

I trot over and look at the cage, observing it. The lock looked a bit rusty, like it hasn’t been used in a while, or was previously scavenged and used. It use the back of my gun to break it, opening the door. Derpy then pounces on me.

“Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise to make you a batch of muffins when we get back to Sanctuary, I promise.”

My stomach rumbles at the thought.

“Waifu Derpy, where is the package?” Battery asks.

She turns, glaring at the robot.

“You…” she starts. “You left me!”

“I went to find help.”

“And if you didn’t find any?”

“I would have returned to the master to inform him of your predicament.”

“I wouldn’t be in this predicament if you stayed on course. Now we are late to deliver the package!”

“I heard a strange distress signal.I had to answer, it is written in my code.”

Derpy sighs, brushing off the robot. She flys back up to the post the cage was handing on a retrieves her saddle pouch.

“Let’s just go home. It wouldn’t be the first time I failed a mission.”

Her ears sulked at that. It was then i realized that her eyes was unaligned. She sighs.

“Nonsense, we have the mighty Vault Hunter with us. She should be able to help us get the package delivered. She has nowhere to go or do, and we are not guaranteed to return home until the package is delivered.

I glare at Battery.

“It depends, where are we going?” I ask.

“To Lyra’s Berg. It is not too far from where we are.”

Walking behind Derpy was a challenge in its own. Not that she wasn’t a good flyer, but she was unaligned...or bottom heavy. And talking about her bottom…

Her cutie mark is bubbles. I wonder what kind of experience with bubbles caused that to be her cutie mark.

“So...uhh...bubbles?”

“Hm..?” she looks back at me, sees that I’m looking at my cutie mark and blushes. “Oh...you wouldn’t believe me if i told you, but i used to be a really good flyer when i was younger … wonderbolt level good…” her ears sulked a bit, her flying position lowering.

She was right, I couldn’t believe it. But now that she had told me,I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for Derpy. Pandora is very cruel to some ponies.

“Then my eyes had became crossed after an Eridium blast had happened...i crashed into things a lot after that. So with extra money from the three jobs i have, i bought myself a special shield that nullifies all fall damage called “Bubble Catcher”. I got my cutie mark the first time i used it. ”

Her ears perked up.

“But if that Eridium blast didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have the Eridium mine...or Sanctuary. And without Sanctuary, i wouldn't have my jobs...i wouldn’t have met the doctor...i don’t know where i would be. Plus, i got to meet you. So i’m glad, besides it matches my bubbly personality, right?”

I smile at her.

Someone as optimistic as Derpy is rare to find in the Pandora. It’s really refreshing. She would’ve liked Secret Tale.

lyra's berg

“Grenade out!” yells a pony before an explosion goes off. Two fillies stood in front of a ran down stable, fighting off Bullymongs. The unicorn used her gun, standing on her hind legs while the earth pony slung grenades and covered her flank. The two was in sync with each other, knowing exactly what was going on in the other’s mind.

A bullymong appeared behind them and i grab my gun, taking it out for them.

“Whew. That was a close one. Thanks for having my hind.” says the unicorn.

“Don’t i always?” the earth pony says, hip bumping the unicorn pony.

“Lyra! BonBon!” Derpy calls out, landing and trotting over to them.

“Hey, is our package here?”

“Yep!” she says, pulling out a box from out of her bag. Bon Bon grabs it quickly before heading inside the stable.

“Finally we can put the shield back up! We can call back some of our old sources and agents, maybe even establish the base again.” she says, zooming across the room. “Secret Agent Sweetie Drops is back at it again!”

“Don’t mind her.” Lyra says, trotting over to a couple jars. She dumps out a couple pieces of candy each and stach it in a bit bag before handing it to Derpy. “Thanks again for the help.”

I noticed that Lyra has been trying to walk on her back hooves instead of all fours. She’s actually kind of good at it. I bet that gives her an advantage during combat...interesting.

“Come back sometime, kay. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Lyra, the blueprints!” Sweetie Drops...i mean, BonBon calls out.

My stomach growls as we walked.

“How far are we from Sanctuary?” I ask.

“Well...sense you’ve never been there before, we have to go on hoof.” Battery inquired. “Which would be a decent trot.”

“Not too far.” Derpy says. “Just beyond these glaciers.”

I sigh, my legs getting tired and my body sore.

Beyond the glaciers was a boat...a ship more like it. It seems this wasteland was a place for ships to sink and die. A little blue box stood in from of the sunken ship. It had the words Police written on the side and top, but didn’t look like all the other transportation hubs that were used in Pandora.

“This is the TARDIS system.” Battery says.

“TARDIS?” i tilt my head, hoping that they would elaborate.

“Travel and Recovery Device In Service. If one of the TARDIS’ was to ever break, they are called Travel and Recover Device Outposted Service or TARDOS. Weird, huh? That’s the Doctor for you.”

“How does it work?”

“ The TARDIS functions under a strict command, that only working B4TT bots are able to administer, this way they are not to be overridden. I unlock the coordinates of our desired destination, the passcode key, and then we are transported.”

The door to the TARDIS opens, and we walk in. There was a white flash, and then there was silence.

When my sight clears, I find that we were transported to a tower. A bell tower?

“Home sweet home.” Derpy smiles. “Now what kind of muffins would you like, i can make blueberry, cinnamon chip, chocolate chip, i think i have bananas…”

The first room was lit up with all these strange gadgets and unfinished bots. There was blueprints for multiple devices and boards of equations, some finished while others wasn’t. Past that room was a large power source, warm, vibrate, alive. The other rooms was more like a house but messy and admittedly strange.

The kitchen had graduated cylinders, beakers, flasks, test tubes, and wash bottles. Yes, it had bowls and cups, but it seemed that Derpy didn’t discriminant with any of the gear as she cooked.

“Derpy?” calls out a voice.

“In here, Doctor!”

Not one but two sets of hooves entered the kitchen. Standing there was two stallions. The brown pony looked as if Derpy was an angel sent from above, running at her and hugging her. Derpy giggles with a “Doctor!” before hugging him back. The orange unicorn levitated the bowl she was holding and hugged her.

“Where have you been? It’s been days.”

“I got caught up in something. Oh, also Battery needs to be fixed.”She says.

“Are you making muffins?” the ginger unicorn asks, smelling the batter. Derpy pushes his face out of the bowl.

“Tick tock!” she giggles. “Yes, i'm making muffins. Several different kinds. For my friend here, so get out and wash up.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” I ask.

“I’m sure.” Derpy says, rolling her eyes. She waves me off and i follow behind the stallions, reluctantly.

Doctor lead me into his lab, showing me some of his inventions.

He seemed to be trying to be create more animal bots, ones that will protect main cities and escort ponies when they walked around the badlands. He also was telling me about some prototypes he had made that he had looking over the badlands for vaults, ponies in need, potential places to settle, places to grow food, places to mine eridium. Anything really.

I realized that the Doctor was a pacifist by the way he talked, one that preferred not to fight but would if insured the safety of another. The doctor spoke of bandits and psycho as if they was just poor ponies that had lost their mentality living in the badlands, that they were still ponies, that they still had morals, that they could be saved. He told me of some bandits he had observed through his animal bots, some that weren’t hostile until shot at. Some that had families, would feed the bot animals, and lived peacefully.

A pang in my heart went off. Unwanted thoughts of my parents before they went ballistic flashed in my thoughts. They weren’t bad ponies, just paranoid.

I hadn’t realized that i had tears welling up in my eyes as i unconsciously sniffled.

Tick Tock was working on Battery. Battery was talking to him about Blood Beak’s now empty boat. Gasoline stained his coat as he changed Battery’s wings.

“So, you smashed him with a cage?” he says, cocking his eyebrow. “Poetic and Interesting.”
He changes the lens of Battery’s eye. “I would like to look over your footage, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem!” Battery chimes.

“Uhh…” I wince. Tick tock raised an ear. “ So..which one of you is Battery’s master?”

“Battery is the Doctor’s but it was my improvements and power core that brought him to life.” he says, not missing a beat.

“So...Derpy is your waifu?”

Tick Tock blushed, continuing his work.

“I wouldn’t say that. Derpy and the Doctor is as close as I am with her.” He justified. “We both have great respect for her. It was her who saved me. I was ready to die when her and the doctor saved me. She had convinced him to go back for me, and i've been grateful to be by her side ever since.”

The unicorn face was absent of emotion but i could feel the heart in what he was saying.

“The first batch is done!” Derpy calls out, which apparently was the signal to drop everything that they was doing and come and get a muffin. And to be honest, it was amazing. She decided to make a crunchy peanut butter muffin, which had little smashed peanuts and cinnamon sugar topping that was absolutely to die for.

“The next batch will be red velvet with a whipped cream cheese filling.” she announces. The doctor and tick tock both look at her with the most affectionate look i have ever seen. It pretty much declared their undying love for her and more.

I now understood why Battery had labeled her the “best waifu”.

“Oh, Vault Hunter! You don’t have anywhere to stay!” Derpy facehoof. The thought had slipped my mind, considering the mouthful of amazing pastry in my mouth.

“Well, that won’t be any problem, She can stay here for the night! That way we can contact Vernandi, alerting him of your arrival tomorrow so she can clean up a place for you.” Doctor smiles.

“Oh, i don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense! You brought Derpy back to us, it’s the least we can do.”

Derpy lended me her bed, which was weird. She blushes and stutters when i asked where she would be sleeping before rushing off with a “Good Night.”

Congrats, Vault Hunter! You have reached LV.9
You have earned these previous abilities:

Chance to daze an opponent increased (+20%)
Fire rate increased in all weapons increased (+14%)
Critical damage rate increased (+10%)

making house calls

Hey, Vault Hunter. Don’t wake up! Just listen.
You’re in danger. I can’t tell you how but you are. You need to avoid Sanctuary for now, you need to find Silver Bullet. Give him the Messenger and the note, he’ll understand.
Please listen! Vault Hunter!

I wake up in a cold sweat, the room dark. Blinded, I prepare to scream and kick, fearing that Secret Tale had dragged me into the afterlife with her. I wasn’t prepared to die yet!

“Are you okay?” Tick tock asks, levitating the goggles off my eyes.

To be honest. I felt sick in all different reasons. I haven’t slept for quite some time, it giving me time to think and reflect on everything i ever done and ever will do. It gives me time to question if anything i have done was sane or worth dying for. What my morals are in the Borderlands. Most people had one. What was mine?

“I’m fine.” i fib. Well, it’s not a fib or any kind of lie. I’m not good, grand, swell, or any of the above and yet i’m not bad, hurt, or sick. I’m stable, alive, breathing, able to go on. I was fine.

Tick Tock gave me a look that told me to try again, but doesn’t press it.

“What...What are you doing in here anyways?” I try to deflect the subject.

“Derpy told me to come get you.” he says before trotting outside. I slip out the bed, stretching and adjusting my goggles...her goggles.

What was Secret Tale warning me about? There couldn’t be something wrong with Sanctuary that the Doctor wouldn’t know about, right?

All my worries melted away when i trotted into the kitchen to the smell of Derpy’s..pancakes.

“It’s muffin mix made into pancakes. Still just as good.” She says, glaring at the Doctor. The Doctor mumbled about how it was a waste of a perfectly good muffin and no flapjack meal is the same without syrup, which Derpy had anticipated on, serving up a chocolate syrup.

Tick Tock kept glancing at me over the table, and i got the hint from Doctor and Derpy that they was worried too. The Doctor, however, had an understanding look of not wanting to talk about it unlike the others.

“After breakfast, you can head out to Sanctuary with Battery and Derpy. I have a package for ou to deliver to Ms. Scratch.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I blurt out. The Doctor cocks an eyebrow at my reaction. “It’s a gut feeling.”

“Oh!” the Doctor smiles, as if that explains it all. “Interesting. A feeling from the gut foreshadowing an occurrence that may happen due to one's present actions? I have heard of such, it being a saying of intuition and experience, but i have seen quite the extraordinary occurrence with the acquaintance of Ms. Pinkie Pie. Maybe we should take a look?”

The Doctor uses his C4N_4RY bots, a by product of B4TT-RY. Apparently, bats flying around during the day scared people and at night they was mistaken for Rakks and Trash feeders. There only a handful of them left, now reduced to escorts rather than spies.

I wonder how many people knew about the Doctor’s bots. Were there people who was authorized like he was to use them? Was it okay for him to use them? Do people feel safe using these things and knowing that they exist.

“Uh...Doctor. Why do you make these things...i know you told me it’s to watch over Pandora but…”

He smiles while looks over the monitors.

“Pandora is a dangerous place. Not everyone can protect themselves, as you know. I lived in a vault in which we hid from the world, believing we was superior to the outside world. That we overcame the natural intelligence and shouldn’t bother wasting time with the savages of outside. I was just a colt, i didn’t know any better, i know that now...i heard screaming outside the vault, someone begging to be let in.”

He whinnys, looking down at the keyboards.

“If only i had known, if everyone else wasn’t so blinded to see and understand those “savages”...there would be more than just me.”

His back was facing me, but i can only imagine the hurt on his face. His shoulders slumped.

“That day forward. I promised to look out for anyone who may need help. Unlike some ponies, i am a man of science instead of magic. Not everyone can use magic, but everyone can do a bit of science. And after leaving that vault, i have experienced and seen so many new and complicated things, thinking and enjoying things the considered “savage”.

One of his canary’s chirped, showing a bunch of skags attacking Sanctuary gate and shield while some bandits raided the city inside. Some civilians was captured and things was stolen.
Little blood was spilled, which was strange. What could these ponies be for then?

An insignia flashes across the screen before the bird flashes and connection is cut off.

The Doctor doesn’t like that one bit, quickly checking other places for other civilizations for the same kind of invasions that was happening, especially in bandit camps. It seems that the invaders was looking only for certain kind of ponies.

“They’re gathering the Siren ponies.” he exclaims.

“Siren ponies?”

“Ponies who can use magic or draw properties from eridium to gather elemental powers.” Tick Tock explains, quickly sending out a distress signal to other vault hunters. ”Only a handful of ponies can do that, and since the eridium blast, there has been high demand for them in certain places. Some want their power, others want them dead, some are used as weapons.”

“Th-That’s horrible.” I say. It’s Pandora, a voice in my head counters.

“Venandi, it looks like we have a problem.” Tick Tock says into a mic.

“Oh, you think?” a female voice blasted through. “I was anticipating a new pony arrival and i get bandits everywhere, destroying everything! This stuff takes time building!”

Tick Tock sighs, facehoofing.

“Do you know who it is?”

“Those three trouble making bandit clans from Three Horns Point, ran by three most feared bandit brother ponies in the Frozen Wastelands. Heard they had a sister...wonder what happened to her.”

“Do you have a plan?” he asks, sounding a bit more stressed than he should be.

“Protect Sanctuary. Call the other civilizations. Kill the skags, plan for a raid before any ponies get killed or sold. I need intel and volunteers.”

“We can do intel, but we can’t wait long, we know how bandit's can get.”

“Roger that.”

Tick Tock sigs, knowing that Venandi is doing all that she can, but it wasn’t enough.

“Doctor.”

“On it.” the Doctor says, already deploying M1C-3 spy animal-bots. Derpy dashed around trying to redirect distress signals to other vault hunter areas. Screens blurred red and sirens went off.
Suddenly, a transmission on the radio happens.

“You think you’re soooo smart, don’t you Doctor? Think that your spies can help Pandora and you can stay hidden in your little vault? Well, you are wrong.” an eerie pony voice says. “You see, i too have spies, escorts, and messengers but unlike yours. Mines fear me and would never think of betraying me. Have a good day, the Doctor is out.”

And just like that, one by one screens went out, sirens went dead, and the lab goes quiet. The three ponies scrambled trying to recover something, anything to no avail.

“D-Doctor?” Derpy asks, fear in her throat.

“It’s okay, Derpy.” he says, not even believing in his words.”It’s going to be...it has to be…”

“Doctor, the best course of action is a retreat. We need a plan, and right now, we can’t..”Tick Tock says, packing some tools into a saddle bag and gathering some guns. Derpy does the same, but more reluctant. The Doctors eyes seemed blown away and defeated before nodding.

“Yes. It seems it has come to that.” he sighs.

He goes to the power core in the other room, punching in coordinates.

“I’m sorry old girl, but until we can get a better hoof on things, you need to become a TARDOS.” he tries to reason. I didn’t understand until i hear a loud, undeniable whine. The whole building seemed to protest, something i didn’t even think was possible.

“I know. I’ll be back. I promise.” he says. “Be a good girl while i’m gone.”

Tick Tock guides us out, Derpy having tears in her eyes.

sanctuary

When we reach the gates of Sanctuary it seemed that the problem was a bit more contained. A purple cat seemed to fighting, using a sword to cut of stag heads and slice them open. She uses her cat reflexed to jump over, duck under, do back flips, and more. Gun fire went off in the background as she moved, never being grazed by a single bullet.

“Oh, Doctor! It’s you.” She says, sling blood of her sword. “Glad that you are in.”

“Actually, im here on a house call.” the Doctor sigs. Venandi’s ears sulked, her eyes going wide with astonishment.

“It’s that bad?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Vanandi sucked on her teeth before ushering us inside. However, there was a nagging feeling telling me not to go.

Sanctuary was beautiful from the inside. Various different shoppes and large building. The streets was mostly clean, nothing like any bandit camp i’ve ever seen. Admittedly, i felt a little out of place. Seeing the mostly white and gray stone made me feel dirty, my whole life seeing mostly pinkened snow under my hooves. Everything looked so fancy and put together.

In the middle of Sanctuary a group of it’s civilians was worried and discussing the next course of action, everything from retreating to full on genocide of the three clans being on the table.

“Everybody has been on edge lately. Our shipment of rations is late and it seems that they are gradually getting smaller somehow. Bandit activity has increased, as you can see already, ever since Daring kicked them out. And now our gate has been hacked by some kind of untraceable magic. It’s not making any sense.” Venandi sighs. “So first things first, we need to get Firestone back.”

She leads back behind a building into a garage with a large sign that read Red Racer’s Catch-A-Ride.

“Aw...c’mon, baby. It’s not like anyone’s lookin’. It’s been a while since you had a proper pony ride.” a young colt’s voice wined. “Besides, you’ve been super stressed out lately.”

“We was just raided and ponies was kidnapped...and that’s on your mind.”

“Sugar cube, i disect monsters in the clinic with a half-crazy pony doctor...who’s not certified as a surgeon but as a pediatrician. I think i’m justified.”

“Why do i put up with you?”

A pony worked on a carriage, laying on his back on a scooter, fixing the underside. Another pony sat on the hood, clearly bored.

“Skeeter.” Venandi calls out.

The pony under the carriage answers with a “Busy”.

“I need to buy a carriage off you.”

“I said that I’m busy.” he says again.

“When can i expect…”

“I said that I’m GODDAMMIT!” the pony emerges from under the carriage, oil all over his coat. He scrambles to the emergency showers, spraying himself with water before it could set in.

The colt trots over to a table, grabbing a towel, smirk on his face.

“Happy now?” The unicorn growls, wiping himself down.

“ So...when?”

“Tomorrow, if i pull an all-nighter. Why so desperate?”
“We need a carriage that can take heavy gunfire damage and defend itself against skags and bandits. You’re Catch-A-Rides seems to be the only carriages that can do that.”

“Damn straight. Each one of these are my babies. No bandit carriage can compare...although if you happen to come across any of them, i’d like them scavenged for parts.”

“I might have to buy it from you...permanently. We don’t know what we are getting into.”

“Then i’ll give you an older model. They’re slower but they get the job done. I could probably even maybe can put on some new adaptations, but that is going to cost you. It isn’t easy upgrading my babies, they're all made single handedly by a member of the CATCH-A-Ride’s family after all. But, i’ll be lenient, I’ll…”

As the carriage pony boasted, the other pony rolls his eyes and trotted off, muttering underneath his breath. “No it’s fine. Take care of your babies, cancel date night for the 4th time in a row. It’s okay, not like your coltfriend minds or anything.”

A pang of regret went off in my heart for him. Regret and something else. Which is weird, seeing that we are going to be saving ponies from being enslaved. But even i would be a little pissed. It’s the little shred of humanity that Pandora was willing to give.

“And then maybe when i finish, i can-” Skeeter seemed to now notice that his colt companion had left. Instead of going off after him, he just shrugs and goes to work, as if it didn’t matter. And that set me off.

“Aren’t you going to go after him?”

“He’ll come back eventually.”

“But that’s not fair to him. You should…”

“Listen.” Skeeter says, firmly. “People are miles from home, uncertain if they are going to be tortured or murdered. Civilizations are being raided, their shields down and left vulnerable to anything that cross them. Pandora has hacked all our systems, leaving us with nothing! He can wait! This can’t.”

He slams his hoof on the hood of the carriage, his mane hiding his face. My heart gave a little.

“ Pandora isn’t fair sometimes. It can’t guarantee anything to us...working is the only thing keeping me sane. Anything else can wait, it has to.”

He was right. Pandora wasn’t fair. Most people tried to pull together whatever they can get and try to build something resembling a stable and ideal life. Some ponies never got to meet that special somepony, or something they care for. Hell. not even i have that.

“He’ll be fine. This isn’t the first or last time that this has happened.” he sighs.

“Well, maybe it should be the first time you go after him.” i says, trotting outside.

Venandi took us the this diner,The WyldStyle Crater, for dinner. The place was pretty vacant due to the devastation, glass splattered on the ground and the fumes of wasted alcohol in the air.

Everything they have here is canned or packaged, as is the ways of the wastelands. Nothing can be grown here since the devastation of Pandora. Most things you try to grow here in the soil either dies instantly or grown into a pony eating plant...or are radioactive to the moon and back. Sometimes a combination of the three. Least to say, nothing here wasn’t some variation of something i’ve had already. And not even made well.

Venandi chalks it up to the disappearance of the bars patrons during the scuffle. She explains that though they are not the owner, they lives at the bar and keeps it running, and without them, nothing is done the same. Which made me wonder what the bar is like when they are here instead of where they could have possibly have gone and their wellbeing.

“Vault Hunter, is it?” Venandi asks, opening a can of tuna.

“Yes’m.” i nod.

“Where did you get that gun? Doesn’t look like any gun i’ve ever seen.”

Really? Because it looks like a regular revolver sniper rifle with scope and silencer. Am i missing something?

Venandi’s tail flicked.

“What kind of bullets does that baby take?”

“.22 caliber. It takes magic bullets, corrosive, slag...anything really.” I say, watching Tick Tock levitate it and align it.

“I see. What’s it called?” he asks.

“The messenger.” I answer.

“Did you shoot it?” the doctor says with a smirk, nudging Derpy. Derpy chuckles into Tick Tock's shoulder.

“What?”

“Did you shoot the messenger?” Tick Tock says again, amusement in his voice.

“What?”

“You shouldn’t shoot the messenger.” Derpy giggles, throwing her head back.

“Yeah, what did they do to you?” Venandi chuckles.

I face hoof, not getting the joke. I don’t see why they are joking right now, with everyone kidnapped and gone, but i felt a little joy knowing in dire situations such as these, we could ease our worry with a bit of humor. A liberty Pandora gives us.

“One of my best stallions went on ahead without my orders to Three Horns Divide in hopes of figuring out where the ponies are being taken. We haven’t heard from him since, but no news is good new on his part. He goes missing for weeks but always comes back fruitful with more than what he went out to search for. I have no doubt on his end.” Venandi says.

“However, we need to be thorough on looking for everybody, so tomorrow, i plan on sending you and whoever i can range up to help to Three Horns Valley to search. The mission is a search and rescue. And don’t worry, you got allies out there, just like you got enemies. You’ll be in Sloth’s territory, one of the safer dangerous zones.”

“The mission is to figure out where they are going.”

“And how do we do that?”

“Easy. You make a pizza delivery.”

“A pizza delivery?”

“No matter how feared the ponies are in that area, they all have one weakness. Pizza.”

“Um...okay?”

“You’ll still have to get past there dog though, Mauler is no joke. That thing just doesn’t die, no matter how many times that thing dies.”

I blink at her words but don’t question it. Pandora was strange, it could be happen.

“Well...get some sleep. We’ll set out some ammo and breakfast for you, and then we’ll go meet Skeeter.”

“Right.”

I didn’t know how to feel about this, but i didn’t want to ask about it or sound unsure around everyone. Everyone sounded so sure about the plan, though there was so many holes in it.

insecurities

Instead of going to the stable, i trotted around the streets of Sanctuary, in which construction was already being taken care of by loaders and construction ponies. Though they argued about what to do with holes that rocket launchers and grenades had made, the seem to be eager to make Sanctuary normal again.

Apparently, they didn't have trash day. Back before i was taken by Secret Tale, the village would gather our trash together at the end of the week and burn it in a huge bonfire and tell stories. It was one of the saner moments.

Apparently, they didn’t do that here. I wonder why.

I got lost quickly, finding myself in a place called Shoot Up! A pony sat next to the door, shaking his head. He mumbled about how he couldn't afford something,but he needed it.

I trot in it, already regretting my decision when the smell hit my nostrils. Behind a cage was a mare, her mane draping down her face. She seemed to care a whole lot less.

“Guns to the left, Missions on the board, shooting range in the back. No questions.”

I looked around, trotting toward the board.And beneath all these missions was a green paper with a familiar cutie mark. I quickly move everything to find a WANTED poster.

WANTED: SILVER BULLET, for Illegal gun trafficking, contraband…..REWARD for his head, just his head.

I blink. He was what i was looking for.

I took the poster off the wall, finding writing on the back.
For those who can keep a secret, the vault in T-bone Cavern has the best view this time of year. - Silver Bullet

T-bone Cavern.

I slip the paper nonchalantly into my inventory, looking over to make sure no one else had seen.

When i get to the stable, Derpy had fallen asleep, her head resting on tick tock’s shoulder.Tick Tock didn’t seem to mind, having dozed off while looking over some blueprints and making adjustments to them. The Doctor’s tie sat on the other side of the bed, the stallion sitting outside.

He looked up at the sunset, his eyes soft and moist as if he’s been crying. I look around, wondering why he wasn’t with Tick Tock and Derpy.

“Doctor?”

He turns his head, a soft welcoming smile on his face.

“Views pretty isn’t it? I used to watch sunsets all the time with Meriweather, brillant filly she was. Bright and filled with imagination, she was born with defective wings. I made her wings to replace them but she could only hover with them.” he rambles.

“Doctor?” I try again.

“I-I-I’ve been having nightmares…”he admits.”Nightmares of other mes. Other Doctors, ones that…”

“That…”

“Some of them are good. Like, one that is married and happy with a pony named Roseluck. Or another that hadn’t seen that day, hadn’t opened the vault, blissfully ignorant. Or one that is with a sky captain who has a bit of a drinking problem, Jack Daniels.” he blushes, but it fades all to quickly. “ But then there’s one who beats on his wife, Ditzy Doo. She’s a Derpy alternative, one that has been through alot and refuses to leave because he’s all she’s got. Another that gets dissected by a filly, Pinkamena, because he’s addicted to drugs that he’s fed. Or one that Murders and...and other things to please his lover and master.”

I sat quietly, wondering what to say. This sounded to surreal, but Hyperia had their nasty regeneration program that brought ponies who didn’t die “just” deaths in their eyes. There is a possibility that all these Doctors are actual Doctors. And i think, he knew that.

“There was a Doctor who didn’t go back for Tick Tock when Derpy begged, one that didn’t try, and regrets it. One that met a mare, Study Glitter, who had lost her mind and killed her out of mercy. Then, lost his own. And a Doctor, who becomes a crime lord underneath Lust’s reign, having several mares and stallions to do his bidding.”

I think he was waiting for me to stop him. It sounded like there was many more to list.

“I have nightmares...i think their nightmares. I see Secret Tale. She wants to tell me things, but there something stopping her.” I say.

He nods.

“I’m scared to believe that those ponies may exist. That they might have hurt ponies out their. Or left ponies all alone. Or...that I’m not the real Doctor, just a fake running around while the real one is…”

“You’re as real as you make yourself out to be.” I say, looking up at him. “The Doctor you are is helping ponies as well as he can, looking and watching over them. He had to great assistants and friends with him, and is happy. As far as i’m concerned, he’s pretty real to me.”

The Doctor smiles at that.

“You’re right…”he says. The lingering But was in the air, but left unsaid.

“What was your last dream about?” I ask.

“ I was with Ditzy and a filly named Artemis, we had beautiful children...but it seemed that they we’re both Artemis’...Ditzy was just...there. She seemed unhappy, but i didn’t seem to care. I had children…” He says, mirthful. “ Artemis...she was the one who wanted Ditzy to stay, though she didn’t say why...i got angry when Artemis tried to shield Ditzy from a beating...and hit her instead.”

I look up at him, he’s eyes refusing to leave the now blackening sky.

“The part that made me wake up was the fact that he regretted it with Artemis, but felt like he was entitled to hitting Ditzy. Such a sickening thought of mind… i couldn’t even…”

“But you’re not him.”

“But i could’ve been. I could be…” he says.

“But you’re not.” I try again. “ I have nightmares about being psycho like my parents. To losing my mind and reveling in it. You don’t think im scared too?”
The Doctor looks over at me.

“We just...have to accept those nightmares and know that they are just that, nightmares. That we will wake up to find that we aren’t those ponies and live hoping that we never be. That we are better ponies then those we fear…”

“And the ones we don’t? The ones we wish we could be?

“Would you change your life to be them? Leave Derpy and Tick Tock?”

He looks back at the sleeping couple, now spooning, leaving his side of the bed empty.

“No. Never.”

“Do you feel dirty, waking up and not being with those you dream about.”

“No, but to have dreams of others while having such great…”Lovers. “ companions. It’s..”

“Then be happy for those Doctors...happy that they aren’t the others.”

The Doctor nods, looking up at the stars and moon. I do the same.

As promised, i woke up to a cup of coffee(cream and sugar) and warmed canned candied apple pie filling along with a couple magazines of bullets, normal and elemental bullets.And to be completely, honest. It reminded me of home. The one after Secret Tale found me.

Sometimes she would get up and make breakfast, usually to butter you up and go hunting with her or when she knows somethings up and wants you to talk about it, and leave it next to you bed with and envelope that looks like her cutie mark.

I discard that thought quickly. She was dead, and while i can still mourn, flirting with memory lane is not an option. Things like this gets you killed in the badlands...in Pandora as a whole. Besides, i don’t get sappy over memories about…

I stopped myself, almost losing my appetite. That would be a lie if i said i didn’t miss the days where i was with my parents. Even when they turned psycho, they still cared for me. Which is saying something, at least. Even at their last breath, they were fighting to keep me safe.

After breakfast, i go down to greet the Doctor and the others.

“Knock. Knock!” i say, knocking on the door. Something i learned from being with lots of older ponies the hard way. Thinking about that, how old is Derpy? She couldn’t be that old? Maybe a couple years older then i am...i’ll have to ask her.

Thump! “Who’s there?” Tick Tock groans.

“Vault Hunter.”

“Come in.”

I open the door slightly to find the orange unicorn upside down. It seems that he was pushed out of the bed by Derpy’s butt. Her flank stuck out out the blankets, but the rest of her still was sound asleep and unstirred. The Doctor was half wake, caught by Derpy’s hold on one side.

“Morning?” I greet trying not to giggle.

“It was.” Tick Tock sighs, getting up. He pushes Derpy over before sitting back on the bed with little to not protest. I blush at the implication that could have meant.

“Good Morning Ms. Hunter...or would you rather be Ms. Vault?” the Doctor asks.

“Uh...Hunter?” I say, a little confused.

I wasn’t used to the formalities. It was “Come now, little hunter.” “You know what, you stubborn Vault!” or simply “Vault Hunter!” Granted the Hunter came from my mom’s side of the family, her cutie mark being a crossbow. My dad was called Game Changer, his cutie mark being a poker chip. How they met, I’ll never know.

“Well, Ms Hunter. Are you ready for today’s mission.”

“As ready as i’ll ever be.” I smile weakly. I wasn’t really. I am never really ready for this kind of stuff, but it's one of those things you have to do when it came to it. Like unclogging a toilet or cutting off a limb or looting a dead body.

“Then shall we be off?” Doctor asks.

“Off where?” Derpy yawns, sitting up and wiping her eyes. The two stallions give her bedroom eyes and i knew that i have overstayed my welcome.

“Actually, i think i’m going to go talk to Venandi...so…” I trot backwards, closing the door behind me. Ugh, adults and their hormones.

The smell of pizza hit my nose as i walk into the Crater bar.Venandi seemed less than thrilled to be making it, however. She was covered in flour, grumbling to herself.“One of Pandora’s finest Vault Huntresses and here i am making pizza. Not even good pizza, pony pizza.”

She slides the pizza in the box, the box labeled “WYLDSTYLE’s”. She pats the lid of the pizza box.

“One ticket into the Stronghold.” she says, confident. “Now, all you need is a ride.”

Going down to Skeeter’s garage, we come to find him talking to a carriage, sniffling.

“Alright, baby girl, you gotta go out there and make daddy proud. And don’t you worry, you have made me so proud over the years, i just never thought i would be sending out to war. So you got to give them hell, and if you don’t come back, i know you went out in a hell of a good battle.” he says, stroking the hood of the car. “Gosh, remember i got my cutiemark fixing you up. I remember when you was just a bandit car, but i made you a whole new girl with those automatic machine gun add ons, a new engine, and a modest paint job.”

“Skeeter, it’s a fucking car!” says the other colt from yesterday. “You spent all night with it, you need to let it go.”

“Shut up, Tenderheart!” Skeeter yells. “She is so much more than a car! She’s a RIDE! A CATCH-A-RIDE!”

Both Venandi and Tenderheart rolled their eyes at Skeeter’s actions. It takes an hour and a half for of him explaining to drive before he gives me the key, telling me if the carriage blows up to loot the corpse and bring back what i can.

Twenty-six ponies traveled along side me to search, showing no mercy to anything that they killed, looting the bodies for all it’s got. It got me thinking.

How different were we from bandits, if we do the same things? I wonder if it was a matter of mentality, that maybe we weren’t to different, that it’s just a misunderstanding. But then i remember my parents, it might just be by what we do or don’t do. Our image and how we carry ourselves. Or simply the look in our eyes when they look at us.

Bandits don’t have pupils, just the white in their eyes. It shows the empty void and deterred state of their psyche or whatever. At first, the color in their eyes fade, then sometimes they are there and sometimes their not. And then they're gone, along with the person who originally own them, leaving a hostile shell behind. And then, there’s when they become bloodthirsty and enraged, when their eyes are blazing red.

Speaking of bandits…

I align my gun, shooting out the tires of any bandit carriage tires to keep them from catching up, the other travelers handling the rest. Bandits have horrible aim, probably due to not have in pupils. Their gunfire bounced off the side of the carriage, not even leaving a scratch.

“Bullymongs approaching,” says a pony, throwing a grenade at the offending creatures, causing the barely alive and enraged.I hesitate to pull my trigger, thinking about how we were wasting ammo killing these things rather than saving it for the strong hold. I mean, are we so confident about the storm that we are willing to burn through all of our ammunition?

But i put the suffering bullymong out of its misery.

We stop at a hotel called “Happy Hog Hotel”, owned by a couple donkeys named Cranky and Matilda. Their staff was mostly pigs, which was strange. Most pigs that I know can’t understand pony language, so these pigs must be super smart.

Matilda apologizes for the broken transportalizer. She reported it broken to Pandora authorities about a year ago, seeing that it is illegal to mess with Hyperion technology but there has been no rush to come fix it since. I ask if i could scavenge the transportalizer and Cranky approved, quoting that it was “you’re funeral”.

I glance over at the pizza, wondering if it would be that easy. It couldn’t be.

the stronghold

We ride up to the gates of Bloodshot Sternum, only to be greeted with hostility .Based on any of the dialogue that has been tossed around (such as, “We don’t appreciate trespassers!” “Go back from once you came!” and “ those who go in don’t come back out!”), they was recently stormed by some other opposing force and was now trying to fight back. Sadly, this was short lived.

Gunfire went off, blood splattering everywhere as broken screams of agony rang out. But i wasn’t worried about that. No, i was worried about the statue in the middle of the yard.

It was oddly placed, amongst all the trash and scraped parts was a stone statue of a dog. A statue that kinda seemed impenetrable by any of the bullets that bounced off of it. Something about the statue was alive and ominous.

As i tried to write it off as nothing, blood splatter across it’s nuzzle and i one foul swoop, a tongue slinked out and licked it away. That seemed to get the bandit’s attention.

“The Mauler! It’s awake!” a bandit shrieks before getting devoured by the large dog.

It’s stone complexion turned gray and red, it’s blazing bloodthirsty eyes scanning the area. It seemed that it hadn’t been up in a while, but understood what was going on. One swipe of the mammal’s paw was enough to move several ponies away and knock them off their feet with ease. And with the canine being towering at 3 ponies tall, our odd looked stacked against us.

The Mauler growled, letting all know that they was trespassing on his yard and will pay the ultimate price. Most of the gunfire was turned to the large beast, but i had common sense and retreated back to the Catch-a-ride.

I press the button activating the minigun turrets. I aim, pulling in and out, and fired for the chest and muzzle. The green gunpowder of corrosive bullets in-pacted the skin and burned into it. The dog growls, roaring out. It’s roar was deafening, shaking the gate and everything around it.

I t’s tail shoots out, grabbing me by my face before slamming me against the ground a couple times. It raises me up to its face and sniffs me. I was bleeding now, it getting into my eye before the canine licks it off.

I levitate my gun over, right behind it head, near it’s temple. It notices that i'm using magic but doesn’t seem to worry about what on, making me believe that it is impervious to magic. But that won’t stop me from shooting it.

“Down Boy.” i hiss, shooting the gun.

Bang!

There was no blood, not immediate reaction .I had to even look at the gun to make sure it went off. Smoke steaming from the barrel, and at the place i shot to make sure that it did. It took a second for it to drop me, it’s body slowly and grotesquely turning back into the stone it once was. The monster didn’t seem to mind, almost at peace with it, which was strange.

I pick myself up, swaying a bit, looking around to see who was left. From what i could see, there was about 12 of us left. Which was probably more than enough.

“Alright everyone, change your bullets to silent-but-deadly. We don’t want to make more of a commotion than we already had.” I hiss.

Knockout bullets, ones of the Doctor’s design. With a strong enough sedative to put an enemy to sleep for about an hour. Which was more than enough time. We was hoping to use these the whole time, however, we had no time to prepare for the ambush.

I whine at that.

No one had to die today. They was all too trigger-happy to stick to the plan. They could’ve easily switched out ammo with duck and cover. They didn’t need to retaliate toward an enemy with a very unstable mind, one that barely comprehends friends from enemies.

I refuse to look around at the corpse that remained on the yard’s floor. I didn’t want to count the casualties that didn’t need to happen, wonder what lives they had before we arrived at the gate, wonder what their names and special talents were. I didn’t even loot the bodies, so distraught.

The Stronghold was a maze within itself, it having many different corridors and turns to navigate through. Some rooms was just that, rooms. Some were locker rooms, holding ammo and other goods. Some were hallways and atriums, others being meeting rooms, sleeping quarter, jail cells, and even a cafeteria.

There was unique thing around every corner, old technology and books. Even the posters on the walls, though faded and torn they were eye pleasing. Which made it more hard to believe that the Stronghold belonged to bandits. The Doctor would be pleased by my findings.

To be honest, i was surprised to see that our plan was even working. Some of the bandits didn’t even have to be taken out, seeing that i had a pizza was justifiable enough for my presence, making me believe Venandi’s statement about whoever in charge must like pizza. They must like it so much that they actually order it and have it delivered often enough for the bandits to not even question it anymore.

They pointed us to where we needed to go and we went on our way, making sure to knock them out with sleeping gas on our way out.

There was only one pony who questioned our presence. The Janitor, he called himself. He was a large stallion, tall and bulky.

“Who goes there?”

“Uh...pizza delivery?”

“We didn’t order any pizza.”

“Are you sure?”

“If we ordered a pizza, i would know because i order them.”

Shoot. Quick, think.

“It’s from the boss.”

“The boss?”

“Oh yes. They told me to bring it here to congratulate the boys on their successful raid. They really loved the selection of pretty new captives you brought us.”

The Janitor scowls. He clearly wasn’t happy about the raid.

“Sometimes, i’m sad to say i work here. I do it for the money and protection, but i wonder if it is enough.” he sighs. “In the back is an elevator.”

We’ve been through the whole Stronghold and come across many elevators, only to find that they was broken. Which means, that was intentional, so whoever just waltz in here hoping to get a job done and leave would be so, so, so horribly wrong.

The elevator had one button, the down button labeled THE BASEMENT.

The music in the elevator was unsettling, like a teasing music to you impending doom. It churned an uneasy feeling inside of me, one that i get when something bad is going to happen.

When the door open, we get a warning shot.

“What do you want?” says a filly’s voice.

I poke my head out of the elevator to find a yellow earth pony glaring at me. She looks about my age, but her large blue eyes was full of hatred and distrust.

“Pizza delivery?” i try, my voice cracking. “Form the boss?”

“The boss?” She raises an eyebrow, revolving the chamber of her revolver.

“Uh...they said congrats on the raid.”

“Raid?” she says, her eyebrows knitting together, apparently she was kept out of the loop. She looks at me with distrust, then at the pizza.

“What kind is it?”

“Look lady, i just deliver. How should i know?” I say, testing the waters. She didn’t seem like the type to shoot someone if she wasn’t sure that they deserved it.

She nods.

“Fair enough. But just to make sure…”

“Delivery!” she calls out.

“Pizza!” three colts voices ring out, running up to the door. They trip each other and wrestle before seeing the look in their filly’s eyes and falling into line.

“TC. DC. RC.”she says sternly. “What is this raid that i am hearing of?”

The three colts gulp at the same time.

“We didn’t have a choice, Gluttony soldiers was at the door and stormed us and we agreed and we sent people out and we’re sorry.” the three say at the same time, cowering.

Another warning shot goes off, causing everyone to cower.

“What did you do?”

“We didn’t do it!” TC says.

“We sent other ponies to do it, so we aren’t guilty.” DC concurs.

“Yeah!”

The filly glares, revolving the barrel again.

“We sent ponies out to kidnap fancy ponies from Sanctuary.” RC cowers.

“Is that it?”

“Yes’m.” they whimper.

“It better be. Because if it isn’t...i might have to consider that ransom on your heads, brothers or not.”

I blink at that.

“Forgive them, they have the courage of a mouse when threatened. Being dumped in corrosive chemicals can do that to a person.” she shrugs. “They get themselves in trouble more often than not.”

“Uh..no worries.” I say, my voice giving way what i was truly feeling. Being the only one standing here was intimidating, even if i had a gun. She had me pinned in a corner and she knew it. She was the daughter of a well-known bandit clan, so she must be dangerous. Hell, even her cutie mark told you that she was bad news.

“Now, as for the pizza.” she says, taking it out of my hoof. She opens the top to find that it was a cheese pizza with stuffed crust. “You came from Sanctuary.”

“What?”

“WyldStyle’s is in Sanctuary, is it not. I bet you wanted info on where your friends were sent, so you came up with this half-baked plan.”

I open my mouth to deny the accusation but she cuts me off with a “Save it”. Mauler roared earlier, meaning blood had been shed. Normal pizza ponies don’t carry guns and know never to come through the front gate.”

I blink, swallowing.

“Don’t worry, i’m not mad. In fact, I’ll tell you where they are.”

“What?!?”

“They wouldn’t be in this mess if my brother’s weren't so stupid.” she says, taking a slice of pizza and taking a bite. “They’ll probably be beamed up into Sloth’s arena. They’ll be fighting for their lives up there, so you might want to stop that from happening.”

“And where do i go to find them?”

“Probably at Polaris Express?” she says. “Any other questions?”

I had many, many more questions before i could open my mouth and ask, she smirks with a “I thought not.”

I blink.

“Now, the elevator to your right will take you to the door you was supposed to come in. Come see me again some time. Oh, and in 5 minutes, anyone still left in the building will be dealt with by Mauler. And trust me, what you did to him only hurt him, he will have no mercy.”

She turns to her brother throwing them each a piece of pizza, watching them dive for it. She tuts and shakes her head.

“Poor Boys, look what they did to you.”

I walk over to the elevator, looking over my shoulder at her. Her eyes was endearing, pity in her eyes. She was the result of her brother’s minds being scrambled by corsives, but she didn’t have the hearts to kill them off. She was an enigma, a caring heart.

The elevator lead me to a small cave, that overlooked that whole valley, all the way to Sanctuary. Which means, she saw us coming.

So...why did she let us leave?

As promised, Mauler was awaken in 5 minutes, but by then we were long gone. Which makes me wonder how Warning Shot could tame such a beast, and why she didn’t have it chase after us.

As we rode back to Sanctuary, a dark shadow reigned in the sky. A large airship hoveres to the southeast.

Congrats you have leveled up to level 14!

crashing down

Riding through the valley and the divide at night is as dark as it is frightening, not to mention dangerous. Being outside at night was dangerous. It makes me wish for a trash fire, like back during the days i lived in the camps.

To be honest, i am still scared of the dark and what goes bumpin the night, but was able to make it by knowing that someone was always around. I had the Doctor, Derpy, and even Tick Tock. But it made me feel bad for any ponies that had been kidnapped. They don’t know that and are probably scared out of their mind.

“No.No.No! That’s not good! That’s not good at all!” Venandi paces, running her paws through her hair. “Those ponies won’t last a moment in Sloth’s arena.”

“So, what can we do?” I ask.

“Nothing really.” Venandi says.

“Nonsense, there are plenty of things you can do. For example, stopping the beam up.” The doctor says, drinking a juice box and looking over all the loot we had grabbed for him. “I’m sure we could think of a plan.”

“Please, nobody is crazy enough to go up against Sloth’s court.”

“Wanna bet?”

A stallion wrapped in caution tape leaned in the doorframe. He was clearly beaten up, but he had the smuggest smile on his face.

“Welcome back, Daring, but now is not a good time.”

“I heard something about a dangerous job?” he says. “I’m in.”

“We cannot go up against Sloth’s court!” Venandi says. “Remember the last guys who did something stupid like that?”

“We can stop the beam up, no problem. All we have to do is shoot out a couple buzzard pilots, take out some mechs and guards, loot the area and have a way to get everyone back to safety without being noticed.”

“Yes but...what of Firestone? Do you think that they are just going to have her out in the open? ”

“Pssh...no. But that’s what makes it all the more fun. They would have to have her contained in something mighty powerful to keep a siren in place. Something expensive.”

“And what do we do about the arena then?”

“Hm...that’s a question.” Daring says, grabbing himself a juicebox. His eyes flicked up at me.”I’m sorry, i don’t think we’ve met.”

“Um...I’m Vault Hunter. I’m new.” i say.

“Hunter?” he glares at me. “Like Steel Hunter?”

I blink.

“Uh….”

“No...don’t worry about it.” He says, taking a sip of his juicebox.

Steel Hunter? Are they a part of my mom’s family?

“Anyways. We can’t just carelessly oppose the sins like that.”

“We can, in secret. No one would know it is us. We hide our cutie marks and wear masks. They’ll just chalk it up to some bandit ambush.”

Venandi shifts.

“I’m still not sure.”

“Aw c’mon! When have you ever shy away from a challenge? That’s not the Whiskers i know.”

“It just seems all my plans are half without everyone else.” Venandi says. “I’m not used to taking others into account. This could get so many ponies killed.”

“That’s why we go prepared. We’ll need to scramble some signals so they can’t communicate and slow down the mechs.” Daring sats, turning to the doctor. “We’ll need someone watching over us at all times and well need to knock out the head of the operations. Sloth will have to investigate, so we’ll have to have to use bandit, Hyperion guns,and ammunition to blend in.”

“We’ll have to be careful of the masks and everything else. I’ll gather my team, they are more than willing to fuck things up when things get tough.”

“An where exactly will we get these masks?”

“I’ll make them!” I say a little too excited.

I made my whole bandit town masks when I was a little filly, because i heard it would hide their eyes. I wanted them to feel safe and normal so i made one for everyone. I was still wearing mine when Secret Tale found me. I even kept in the camp that we stayed in.

Everyone raised an eyebrow at that. I blush.

“O-kay. Well, i'm gonna go give the briefing then.” Daring says, dismissing himself. “You coming?”he beckons before trotting out the door.

“I got you in my sights!” Yells a voice. The accent in it was thick but smooth.

A pony pounce on Daring, pistol aiming at his head. Daring kicks the saboteur off of him, resulting in her doing a backflip. She rushes again but this time, Daring reacts to block it. However, it was futile, him getting a boop to the nose with their unarmed hoof.

“Oh my gosh, you should’ve seen your face.”A blue pegasi giggles, hovering past.

“Could you not?” Daring sighs, pushing the pink attacker’s face away from him.

“It was all in good fun, no?” the pink pony tries to reason.

“Remind me to never let my kids play with you, i don’t want them playing with guns.”

“If you ever have kids.” says a dark blue earth pony, rolling her eyes.

“ I will...eventually. And they are going to be gorgeous.”

“What filly in the right mind would have your foal?”

“Some lucky filly, i assure you.” Daring says with a grin.

“Sure...lucky...that’s what she’ll be...” says the sky blue pegasus.

I step back, feeling uncomfortable. I don’t have familiarity with groups other than family and close friends, so sometimes it makes me feel nerve wracking when i meet new people or is surrounded by people i don’t really know well. I want to be a crowd-pleaser, but at the same time i am not willing to lie and pretend im something i’m not.

“So...who’s the new girl?” the dark blue pony asks, trotting around me.

“I got you in my sights.” the pink pony says, slapping my flank, making me jump.

“Can your gayness take a minute to just...chill?” Daring says, rubbing his forehead. “ This is Vault Hunter.”

Everyone pauses at that, glaring at me.

“Like...Steel Hunter?” they say in unison.

“Who is…”

“That doesn’t matter.” Daring snaps. “She has a challenge for us.”

The change of tone was almost immediately, as if Daring had throw a baited hook into new waters. They danced around the bait, suspicious.

“What kind of challenge?”

“Ambushing Sloth’s arena from getting new pony challengers.”

“And what is in it for us?”

“Other then fucking with Sloth’s court, Any loot we can find, and saving several hundred ponies from certain enslavement and death.”

“And the stakes of certain death.”

“When has that ever scared us away?”

“I don't know. Self-indulgence is one thing, but putting all of Pandora in peril for a rescue mission that has a very likely chance to fail…”

“I’m in.” the pink pony says without question. “Fuck Sloth’s court.”

“I got one.” Daring smiles.

“I guess.” says the sky blue pony, flipping her hair.

“That’s two.”

“Sky Skipper, you are not…”

“Blow me, Moon Shadow. Either say yes or fuck off.” Sky Skipper smirks. Moon Shadow sighs.

“I swear to god if i die…”

“That’s three.” Daring says.“Okay...so here’s the plan.”

We transport to the Bloodshot Sternum, to be greeted by Warning Shot, who seemed to be feeding Mauler a skag, much to is enjoyment. Which was strange, seeing most of skag meat would be poisonous if not killed or dissected properly.

“Welcome back.” she says, trotting over to me.

“Um...good to be back?”

“Going to do something stupid?”

“Um…”

“Don’t worry, i like stupid.” she smirks. I blush. “Can I come?”

“And why would we let you join?” Daring asks, accusingly.

“My brothers are the ones who got you in this situation. It would only be for me to amend what they did.” she says. “Besides, they threatened my family. It’s personal.”

“What do you know that we don’t?”

“That you have until sundown, the person in charge is the same person who killed our parents and dumped my brothers in corrosives, that your harpy friend is being used as a battery for the tractor beams and if you need a place to hide, i got plenty of space to hide your friends but you’ll have to wait until dark to move.”

“Thanks, but no thanks, we have our own, trustworthy, sources.”

“Sure, no problem...but my offer still stands.” she says with a shrug.

We trot farther down a trail, traveling dangerously toward buzzard territory. We stop on top of a hill, looking down upon a nest of buzzards and varkids.

“The guy shuts himself in the most dangerous place in the Winter Wastes, i swear.” Daring smirks. “Welp...lit them up.”

The pink pony whoops, getting a running start before diving head first into danger. She shoots up the nest with fire bullets, awaking the angry insectoids. She creates multiple copies of herself, continuing her fire with maniacal blissful laughter. To be honest, you could play “It’s Raining Mares” behind this and it would have a whole new disturbing meaning.
The screams of the flaming varkids before they burn to death and her laughter filled the air.

“Ugh...you have got to be kidding me.” you hear a pony yell. A green stallion comes out of a cave above the nest. A bird flies and lands on his back, shrieking.

“Hey, Lucky Clover!” the pink pony exclaims with a giggle, shooting another varkid in the face.

“Why is your name Heart Throb again?” he says, rubbing his forehead.

“Welcome back to the living, Clever.”

“Wish i wasn’t. What is it?”

“We need you for a mission.”

“A mission?” he sighs. Hemospec squeals.”Sure, but only if you collect some of the honey from the varkid hive. Which means, you’d have to kill the queen…”

Heart throbs smiles.

The Queen Varkid bursts from her slumber under the ground, hearing the cries of her children. She screethes, shooting lightning from her pinchers. But this didn’t concern Heart Throb at all.

She runs forward, hitting in the face with the back of her gun, creates a copy of hersel, jumps over the queen, makes a copy of herself, backflips, lands and slides under the queen. And simultaneously fires. The back of the queens head, her chest, her thorax, and her abdomen. The queen squirms and falls to the ground, bursting into flames.

Heart Throb trots over to the nest, humming. Hemospec flies down with a jar that she gladly fills, licking her hoof afterwards.

“Anything else.”

“Not really no.” Clever says, putting the jar away for later.

“Well, we need you to look over us while we raid Sloth’s arena.”

“Done...if you are going to her place, you might want another jar of honey. She’s been setting up for another one of her “tea parties.”

“Tea parties?” i whisper.

So with a jar of honey, we continue down father down the path into the blizzard mountains, and into a canyon. Barely passing by 3 bandit camps, and stopping at any transportalizer within safe perimeters. Mid-outer canyon held a cave with a transportalizer outside. A large metal door stood in front of us, a strange intercom being attached to it.

“I’m calling Daring, Shenanigans.” Daring calls out.

“Come on in, you’re missing out on the fun.” calls a young filly’s voice.

The door clicks and whines, hissing out steam as it opens. We walk in to find several bandits sitting at a table, dressed up and tied to chairs.They hissed in agony and shook in there seats.

“Don’t feel sorry for those suckas, they were about to molest a filly when i found them. Disgusting, i know.” she says rolling her eyes. I noticed on of her eyes was lighter and pupil-less, making me wonder if it’s the sign of what bandits get when they lose humanity, or if she was blind in that eye. “And they can get up and leave, when they finish their tea.”

I raise an eyebrow at this.’

“So how's the family?” Daring asks, as if he wasn’t seeing this.

“ Why don’t we go check?”

She leads us into the back where she had four mannequins standing up. One was a stallion with pink mustache and M shaped ‘scar’ across one of it’s blank eyes, another has green taupe and green eyes with blue iris, the third was a stallion posed as if he was asking for a hoof bump. The last one ws filly, her long black mane pulled into a pigtail and wearing a purple sweater and glasses. But for the sake of the 4th wall, let's just call them Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 by order.

Y4 seemed to be in the kitchen watching the cookies that were in the oven, while Y3 sat on the washer as it was spinning. Y1 sat watching the cameras and Y2 stood behind him, offering Y1 coffee.

Shenanigans didn’t seemed fazed at all, continuing to “her room” which was basically a garage full of engine parts, dangerous tools, and explosives with a bed in it.

“So what can i do for you,ladies?”

“We are going up against Sloth’s court today.”

“OOooh! Sounds fun! Need some sweet honeys for the job?”

“Only the finest.”

“Well damn...let me see who i have.”

She walks over to a closet and smiles.

“Damn ladies. Lookin fiiine,” she smile. “Now which one of you sluts ready to hit the town?”

I blink at the crudeness of the filly’s language.

“Let Me introduce you to my ladies." she says holding up two rabbit stuffys. "This here's Mushy Snugglebites, and this is Felicia Sexopants.That's right. Twin sisters, man. Hhhahhhhhh. Take 'em. Take 'em take 'em take 'em take 'em. They’ll be your escorts.”

“Well, we’ll be out of your hair.”Daring takes the two ladies, trading them for the jar of honey earlier.

“Kaykay. Call Shenanigans soon, it gets boring over here without proper tea party guests.” she says, trotting over to the table. Y4 was now serving another batch of cookies to our guests, which was...you know what, this is Pandora. I’ve seen weirder things than moving mannequins.

As we walk out of the cave we hear more screams from Shenanigan’s guests after a loud, “DRINK YOUR FUCKING TEA!”

“Um...Daring?” I ask.

“No, her tea isn’t that bad. She probably has them drinking acid or something.” he replies.

“That wasn’t what i was about to ask.”

“Oh. What’s up?”

“I...I don’t know if this is a good idea. It sounds great in theory but…”

“Are you chickening out?” he asks.

“No...No….No, im just…”

“Then don’t worry about it. We got your back.”

For some reason, that didn’t make me feel any more secure….

the arena

Sloth’s arena is literally an flying gladiator ring ship, in which abducted ponies fight to the death with the dream of becoming the grand champion and be able to return back home, and all for the amusement for the leader and sin, Sloth. Once abducted, she herself personally brands you to signify you becoming one of her “toys”. Even if you was to escape, you would be returned immediately after somepony sees you with such brand.

A fleet of shuttles descended from the low-hanging ice and landed in several locations. Each shuttle began to unload its cargo of captured victim ponies and storage chests. The chests were on hovercarts and could easily be pulled to the holopad location. From above, a group of rats, observing the operations, waiting for the order to begin. Hyperion guards covered the whole area, looking over the transfer of goods onto the holopad in order to be beamed up. Buzzard drones flew around, acting as an extra security measure.

Moon Shadow dashes forward, leaving a glittery blur to the naked eye. She hides in the shadows, waiting for her target to pass before taking them out in the quietest and cleanest way possible. She hides the bodies before pressing forward .

When she deems it safe, she gives a signal for Sky Skipper to fly past. Heart throb takes out everyone else with her silenced pistols before motioning for both me and Daring to move forward. However, my body tensed, unable to move forward.

“Hey.” Daring says, pressing his shoulder into mine. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” I snap, turning to him. He booped my nose.

“You’re tense.” he says, leaning in.

“I..I...I..” i’m hyperventilating.

“You’re scared.”

“I’m not…” i shouldn’t...can’t... be scared. I have no right to be scared. But i can barely move...my chest is tight...i...i...i can’t...

“It’s okay. So am i, but i tend to throw caution into the wind. It’s good for the nerves.”

“Good for you, but…” i’m not you….

“Trust me.” he says, whispering in my ear now. My breathing stops. Hell, it felt as if all time had stopped at that moment, heat brazing my cheeks. “Can you do that?”

“I can try.” Though i don’t see how that will help.

Boom!!!

A barrage of bullets is sent out our way, a loader bot stomping it’s way past, alarming the guards of our presence. Daring glances at me before running forward, taking flight and taking out the loader bot. I take a deep breath before forcing myself forward.

“Intruders! Sweep out the area!” yells the guards, shooting at us. The buzzard drones went into defense mode, shooting skin-melting lasers at us, alerting any and all in the area.

Sky Skipper zooms up and causes an blinding cloudy burst, like a rainboom with mist instead of rainbows, blinding enemies long enough for me to make some sniper shots and Daring to shoot some guys between the eye.Moon Shadow dashed forward, dodging the crossfire, making her way to the control room.

Bang! A loud crack went off, buzzard falling out of the sky and crashing.

“You’re welcome.” Clever says, over our intercoms.

For a moment, i wondered how good his sights must be if he could see the buzzard from over a mile away. And taken it out in one hit...

Moon Shadow sneaks up on the one mole behind the whole operation...well, the rat more like it. Guarding the panels to all the cages was a tall rat-man at the controls, monitoring all the ponies.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty pony?” He says, turning to her. Half his face and his right arm was cybernetic, glowing red. “Did she send you?”

“She…?”

“You don’t know? Then never mind. It would have been more interesting if it was her, but oh well.” he says. With a flick of his cybernetic hand, he sculpted a deathbot to do his dirty work. It locks onto Moon Shadow.

Meanwhile, intel on the raid had been sent to the higher up, activation torrents from the arena, planning on shooting Daring and Sky Skimmer out of the sky. I was running low on bullets for the messenger, having to scavenge guns from my victims to keep up.

“Watch your flank!” Daring calls out, catching an unclipped grenade that was aimed at Sky
Skipper before throwing it at one of the arena torrents

Clever picked up any threats that we couldn’t see from the distance, watching us all very closely.

“Uh...guys, you might want to hurry, i see something big coming…” He says, shooting another pony.

Moon Shadow dodges the heavy gunfire and shield burst that the DeathBot aimed at her, luring it out the room, leaving the ratman to his work. She wasn’t going to give up yet, but she needed space to fight. She ran quickly waiting for the deathbot to be out of range.

“Uh...guys, i have a problem.”

“I got it.” Heartthrob beams, doing a backflip over the ponies she was fighting, creating a double of herself to shoot them in the back of their heads, before running off to aid Moon Shadow. I rush forward, using a hyperion shotgun.

Adrenaline wrecked my nerves, telling me to keep fighting. My shield was low, my body heavy, my ears ringing with the sound of gunfire. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, as if i was going to cough it up at any moment.

Daring takes out another turret before doubling back to check on us.

“You okay?” he asks.

“What?” I blink, my vision turning red.”Yeah, i’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Daring!” i push him out of the way, the Deathbot throwing Heart Throb back.

Meanwhile, the ratman starts to pack up for his escape.

“I wasn’t paid enough for this.”

Bang!

“If you know what is good for you, you are going to turn around and deactivate your DeathBot.” Warning Shot threatens.

The ratman smirks.

“And why would i do that?” he says. “Even if i could, what makes you think-”

Warning Shot shoots him in his hoof, making him hiss in pain.

“You little….”

She shoots him in the leg.

“If you can’t deactivate the bot, surely you can release the siren powering this whole operation…”

“Not on your-”

She shoots him in his shoulder and forearm.

“I’ll get you for this…”

“I doubt it.”she says, turning him toward the controls. “But we’ll see after you do it.”

Meanwhile, we dodged for our lives as we thought of a plan.

“If we heat up the metal, we should be able to pierce it better.” I say. “I got fire bullets, but after that, I’m out.”

“I’m low on bullets too.” Heart Throb says.

“We can use that turrent to deal your share.” Daring says. “Sky Skipper and I will bait it to shoot. Moon Shadow, i want you to get back in there and figure out where the others are. We got this.”

Once agreed upon, Moon Shadow grabs the Death Bot’s attention immediately while running back to the control block. I quickly aim at it’s back and legs. Heart Throb shoots at the legs, hoping to weaken them while Daring and Sky Skipper fly around the DeathBot, shooting it where it glowed red from the remaining fire magic. The DeathBot caught on quickly, shooting an EMP blast, knocking us all off course.

I cough up blood, my health dangerously low and my shield destroyed. I weekly raised my gun, shooting again before ducking behind crate. Daring noticed my hastiness, but said nothing. Sky Skipper swirled around the bot, shooting it wherever she can, trying to keep it confused so it doesn’t lock onto us.

Heart Throb shoots the newly cold metal, the bullets piercing its shell. It sends out another pulse, making everyone jump back.

A loud gun blast goes off in the distance, a bullet hitting the robot, sending a frag and electric bullet into the robot.

“It’s weakened and offline for 30 seconds, give it hell.” Clever says over the intercom. Hemospec screeches, swooping in with REgen potions.

“Couldn’t have done that sooner?” Daring hisses.

“Didn’t have a clear shot till now. Most of those was lucky shots.”

Daring groans but wasn't going to give up this opportunity.

“You heard him.”

We release all our ammo out on the Deathbot, it’s whirring and requests for repair from sustainable damage being the only thing heard over the gunfire. After 30 second, the gunfire was ceased, the DeathBot restarting.

“Shit. I’m out.” Heart Throb spats, throwing her gun.

“Me too.” I sigh, putting the messenger back.

“Daring?” Sky Skipper says, concerned looking around.

The Deathbot locks onto the stallion, zoomin up to it with the but of his gun, pulling back at the last second. The turret sends out several shots, hitting the deathbot at the last second, a bullet grazing Daring’s wing. He hisses in pain, falling to the ground and skidding to a halt. The DeathBot blows up, the flames licking Daring as one last EMP blast breaks his shield as it rings out.

Meanwhile, Moon Shadow comes back to the control room to find large pools of blood on the ground. She raises an eyebrow, seeing two trails, one looking like a body being dragged and the other being a pony’s footsteps.

Trotting up to the control panel, she opens the guide, seeing that during all the commotion, it seemed that Firestone had been moved to a safer location and the beam up had been abandoned with the order to kill all the prisoners. Luckily, no one got such demand, the message being blocked by the Doctor.

She takes a minute to crack open all the cages and downloading all the data about where Firestone was being taken. She shakes her head with distraught.

“Oh no.” she says.

In the fleet in which the cages, the guards was becoming a bit concerned of the silence that has come over the intercom. Every now and again, they got a message of absolutely nothing but static, but now it was dead silent and no one knew what was going on.

On edge, they snapped at the prisoners and even resorted to violence. Their resolve crumbled quickly, so badly that they didn’t seem to notice the first cage’s defense being disarmed and it becoming unlock. They didn’t even realize that the cage was empty until it was far too late.

One by one the guards was picked off, their corpse being placed in the cells that the newly escaped prisoners was put in, left to rot.

A gray pegasis lead the rebellion, attacking the soldiers with the element of surprise.

Though her wings was strapped to her sides so that she couldn’t fly, she was just as bad as without them.

She was greeted by Sky skipper as she opens the hatch, preparing to lead and attack on the people who had trapped them in here in the first place. To rebel against Sloth’s lackey’s, To find a way back home.

“Daring...Daring...Daring!?!” I cry out at the unconscious stallion, shaking his body. Heart Throb trots over.

“We got to go.” she says, throwing one of Darings arms around her neck. I nod taking the other one.

We meet Moon Shadow escorting the captured ponies outside where we find Warning Shot and her brothers in what look like bandit...buses?

“These used to be trolleys. Until they was derailed. Thought they would be useful.” she says. In the darkness of the night, you almost couldn’t see the blood splatter on her hooves and flank. “There’s enough room for the at least 4o captives on each bus and still have room for any cargo you want to loot.”

As we rode away, a message came out.

“Hey, Handsome Jackal here. So I just heard that you took away Sloth’s toys. You know that she isn’t one to mess with, but don’t worry, Daddy got her a brand new toy, one with fiery purple fur and mane. She is going to be so excited to play with her, so you can keep the other ones.”

And then the transmission cuts off.

However, no one expected the explosion that went off afterward, destroying the fleets and transmission hub and holopad. The flames reached the bottom of the arena, licking its bottom with its large red flames.

Warning shot and her brothers laughed maniacally, bro-hoofing as if they accomplished something. I look at her with concern, only to get a smile in return. Later when we reached the Stronghold for the night, a transmission came in.

Congratulations! You reached Level 19!

You have now improved you critical damage accuracy!
You also now have 15% better chance to find ammunition and goods to any and all guns you hold in your inventory.
You also have upgraded you shield, earning the perk 20% cooler, allowing your cooling down and regeneration to happen 20% faster.

Cutthroat

“Scotch on the rocks, please.”

Femme Fatale looks back at the clock, breakfast hours not even being over. The brown pony looks up at the purple pony, bags evident in his eyes.

“You sure you don’t want an more hearty breakfast, sugarcube?” she asks.

“A White Russian then.” he sighs.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Nah, baby, what makes you say that?” he asks.

“Ow!Ow!Ow!” Daring complains.

“If it hurts, then you should see a doctor. No?” Heart Throb says.

Daring had been burned quite badly during the raid, patches of his coat and feathers falling out and skin horribly charred. He keeps insisting that he is okay, but he has been unable to spread his wings or stand on his back hooves.

“No!” Daring says. “I’m...I’m fine.”

“I thought you was daring, but your a wuss when it comes to going to see the doc.” Sky skipper teases.

“With good reason, i would go to anyone but him.”

“Though i believe Cutthroats, experiments...distasteful...i think it would be for the best…” Moon Shadow agrees.

“I’m not going and that’s final.”

“Could you guys quiet down over there, some of us like to eat in peace.” the brown pony snaps without even turning around to address us.

Tenderheart trots in, not too soon after to order coffee when he sees Daring’s back.

“Oh MY CELESTIA!” he gasps. He runs over to Daring, pulling him by his ear to the door as he rants. “Never in my life have i seen a pegasis stupid enough to let his back get infected just so he won’t have to see the doctor. I should let your wings fall off…”

He leads us to a small clinic in the area near the shooting range. The light was dimmed with Black light, the floor tiles stained pink and the ceiling spotted red with blood, the room smelling like antiseptics. The wall was lined with all different type of tools, some looking like gardening and power tools than tools used for medical procedures.

A shadow behind a curtain showing a pony raising a sharp object over his head before slamming it down on whatever was on the table below. It cracking of bone was unsettling and the splatter of blood made my stomach churn.

“Doctor.” Tenderhoof says, putting on his nurse garb. “Your favorite patient is here.”

“Is that so?” the pony says, turning around. He slides open the curtain, revealing the gray earth pony behind it. His coat showed scarring, stitches, and open wounds. The clothes and gloves was bloodied, and the weapon he had was now buried into the corpse laying on the table.

Tenderheart raises an eyebrow at the bandit corpse.

“Don’t give me that look. He was dead before i started.” the doctor spat.

“Sure.” the nurse pony says, rolling his eyes. “He’s scarred tissue, third degree burns, loose skin, and a slight infection.”

“Interesting. Sounds like it hurts.”

Daring shivers.

“It’s n-not th-that bad...i..i think..” he tries to back out the door but Heart Throb stops him.

“Well, if it ain’t that bad, then you don’t have anything to worry about. Right?”

Daring swallows. His eyes darted around the room, searching for any way out. Suddenly, he relaxes a Tenderheart sedates him with a hard jab of a needle.

“Lead him to table 4A.” the orders. His eyes land on me.

“We’ll aren’t you something to look at?” He says, leaning in. “You must be the Vault Hunter everyone has been talking about.”

“Uh...yes’r.”

“Cutthroat. Call me Cutthroat.”

His name didn't help me feel any more secure but i could tell that he was trying not to come off as menacing as it sounded.

“Let’s see...how will you pay for you treatment this time?” he taps his five o’clock shadow. “Oh, i know. A mission. A small one.”

“A mission?”

“I need you to go to Firestone, a civilization that’s been overrun by some bandit clan and clear it out. There’s a handsome reward in it that we can split, plus it’s my home. Deal?”

“Deal.”

When we walk out of the clinic, the brown pony from earlier stood outside. He leaned against a lamp post,

“Heard you are heading out to Firestone.” he says.

“And who are you?” Heart Throb asks.

“Leather Notes.” he says with a wink. Heart throb rolls her eyes. “I came to warn you.”

“Thanks but i think we got this.” Sky skipper says, zipping past him.

“Yeah, that’s what Valentine's boyfriend says before they made an “example” out of him.”

“Valentine?”

“Detective Valentine.” he nods his head over to a grayscale colored filly sitting on a bench nearby. She didn’t have her detective gear on. She make up was smeared, her tears being dabbed away.

“He made a sacrifice so that she could get away, before the bridge collapsed.”

“Is he…?”

“We’re not sure. He said don’t look back and don’t come back. So we didn’t.”

“So what are we to do?”Heart Throb asks.

“Well...all of the options are shit to be honest.” he says. “There’s three ways inside. You can go through the dump, talk to the Junkers. You could go around the wreckage and say hi to Martini at the bar. Or you could do over the bridge and take your chances getting captured by whoever lays eyes on you.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.” Moon Shadow sighs.

“Yeah...but it’s home.” he says. “And hey, if you find out what happened to him...bring him back, dead or alive, Valentine would appreciate it.”

I trot over to the Catch-A-Ride to find Skeeter going through his own problems.

“Whoa! Wait! What!”

“If you don’t have the money, I swear i’ll..”

“Wait! Wait! Wait! At least let me know that their okay!”

“Don’t you give them a single bit, you hear me!”

“Sketer, i got this! Don’t you wuss out on us!”

And then the phone went dead. Skeeter throws it and bangs his hoof on the car hood, before apologizing to it.

“Skeeter?”

“You were right.”he says.

“Right? About what?”

“Not everything can wait.” he says.

“Are you and Tender-”

“We haven’t spoken...won’t even look at me…and now Desert Rose and Nitro….this is all my damn fault!”

Skeeter says.

“What happened?”

“I might have pissed off the wrong clan, Vault Hunter. Blown up one to many of their carriages, stopped and looted their arms deals, flirted with the wrong mare….it's all biting me in the flank now.”

“Is there anything i can do to help?”

“ Not unless you can make 100,000 bits appear out of nowhere.”

“I’m sorry, Skeeter.”

“Yeah, i am too.”

I return back to the stable to find the Doctor, Tick Tock, and Derpy scrambling around.

“The Hodunk clan hasn’t been active like this in years, why now all of a sudden?” The Doctor asks.

“Perhaps something has happened the Bloodshots, Hoofduns, Yakfords, Valentines, and Vallory’s.” Derpy says.

“Considering the sobbing Valentine in Sanctuary, i wouldn’t be fazed. The real question is why Firestone?”

The radio catches on, static overrunning the message, Tick Tock quickly attempts to pick up the signal waves before it cuts out.

“-the Crimson Raiders failed. To those who hoped that they were heros, you were wrong, and now Firestone is Handsome Jackal’s. Heard he was renaming it Jackalsville.” as snicker goes off on the other line before it pops and the radio goes dead.

Sky Skipper stops flying altogether, falling onto the ground. Moon Shadow turns away, biting her lip. Heart Throb was furious, throwing all of the Doctor’s things on the ground with a hiss of “the bastard.” My hoofs bagan to shake.

This was our fault...

rise of the crimson raiders

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Sky skipper asks, fiddling with her wing. Heart throb throws back another shot of whiskey with a sniffle.

“Alright, it is a agreed that we are going to Firestone, right?” Moon Shadow says. “Like Leather notes has said, there are only three routes. I believe it would be best if we enroll him to fight with us.”

“I don’t know.” Sky Skipper says. “He came with Valentine after her boyfriend sacrificed himself… don’t you think he should stay with her?”

Heart throb throws back another one, Femme Fatale giving her a concerned look.

“We should bring in Sapphire Scavenger.” I pipe up. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“Very well. We also have to worry about the Hodunk family and the…”

“Hold up, Sugar. Did you say the Hodunk family?” Femme Fatale says, slamming down her bottle with a “Sonuvabitch.”

“You know them?” Sky Skipper asks. Heart throb takes the liberty to take a swig straight from the bottle.

“Used to be one of them.” She groans. “Used to have a bar called Red Rubilite’s… that was back before Desert Rose was born and times were simple. Ran away with her after i overheard that she was going to be married to a Yakford while pregnant with Skeeter, never looked back.”

“Something happened to Desert Rose and Skeeter is freaking out about it.”

“Then it’s worse than i thought. I’ll have to call in that favor.” Femme Fatale mumbles.

“If we have to go anywhere… I suggest we take out the Junkers…” Sky skipper says. “They’re just psychos who live in a junkyard, nothing to be afraid of.”

“Yes, but Valentine’s boyfriend went missing before the bridge collapsed… perhaps we can figure out what happened to him if we went through the wreckage?” Moon Shadow inquired.

“And risk getting captured?”

Heart throb takes one long drag of the alcohol, Femme Fatale snatching it out of her hands. I wonder if Heart throb is playing a drinking game at this point.

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“We could go see that Martini person he was talking about?”

“That bitch is still alive!?!” Femme Fatale squeals.

“Do you know her?”

“Go way back… she should be dead. She was bad news… hm. I wouldn’t bet my money on her if i were you.”

“So back to square one.” I sigh.

“Not quite.” Tik Tok says, bursting through the tavern doors. “Based off of what little data the M1CE has collected, it could be possible for you to do all three. If any if you have a setback, you should be able to communicate using these.”

He holds up what looks like small pens.

“These won’t be trackable by any outside source whatsoever. I do suggest wearing you mask, however.” Tik Tok looks over at me. “The doctor, Derpy, and I will be looking out for you guys the best we can soo good luck.”

“If that’s that, i will inform Clover and we can assemble for our leave tonight.” Moon Shadow concludes.

“Hey Tik Tok.” I call out, motioning for him to sit down.

“Is there something you need?”

“It’s nothing really. I just wanted to see how you were… Everything that has happened… it just blew up and there’s so much going on.”

“Indeed. Even though i cannot express my emotions physically, even i have been put between a rock and a hard place.”

“Yeah… i don’t even know how i got roped in with the Crimson Raiders but it feels like to much. But i am doing it for the good of others… it would be selfish for me to pull back.”

“Nobody will blame you though.”

We sit there for a moment before Tik Tik laid his head on the table.

“The doctor has been… jumpy lately. Sometimes he looks at us with expression. Guilt, fear, and sorrow mostly. He doesn’t speak with us about it either. He wakes constantly throughout the night.”

“It’s gotten that bad.”

“You know of it?”

“He spoke of it one night while i was restless. He thinks too much… about what is and what could’ve been and what will be.”

“Sounds like him.”

“Tell me, Tik Tok. How did you meet the doctor?”

“The doctor and derpy was test driving one of their TARDIS when they came across my village… we were a failing sanctuary that was constantly raided by bandits and hyperion guards. The bandits woke up a hydra and led it right to us. I created a bomb and at the last second, the doctor and derpy saved me. However, many was lost that day.”

“So… what happened to the sanctuary?”

“It’s called Ft. Neighers now.”

“I’ve been looking into the pony that hacked into the Doctor’s equipment.”

“And?”

“Nothing yet, but from what i can’t tell… they aren’t any normal hacker pony and this isn’t any normal magic encryption. It is disturbingly close to the Doctor’s…”

“Do you think you can figure out…”

“Not with anything we got as of right now. However, i have some theories, but tests would have to ran.”

“Well… keep me updated.”

“Sounds like a plan.” he nods, getting up. “And Vault Hunter?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you for listening.”
Before heading out for the mission, i stop at Cutthroat’s office to see Daring.

“Hey.” he smiles.

“Hey.”

“You okay?”

“I should be asking you that.” I say, light-heartedly.

“I’m fine.” Daring says, rolling his eyes.

“He lies!” Tenderheart screams from upstairs, clearly eavesdropping. We both chuckle.

“But really… are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah! I’m… Okay… i guess.”

“You guess? If it’s the mission that you are worried, you’re going to be fine. And if it’s because you won’t have your goggles...” he says taking my goggles and laying them on his head. “I’ll take care of these until you come back, so don’t worry. Okay?”

“I’ll try.” i say, my ears drooping. “To be honest, i’m concerned. I think that we have been getting off way too easy, if you ask me. With Warning Shot and the arena… what’s to say that this time will be the same?”

“Hey, thinking like that might as well get you killed.” he says, sternly. “Pandora is a cruel place, that’s why we have to distract ourselves with things like friendship, violence, work, or…”

“Or… ” i say, fidgeting. Heat floods my cheeks, hoping he would say something. Daring stammers for a moment as he looks into my eyes before clearing his throat.

“Oh my gosh, just kiss already!” Tenderheart yells, ruining the mood.

“Anyways… you have nothing to worry about. We will always have your back. And i’ll be right here...” he holds up one of the pen communicators. “If you need me.”

We use the catch-a-ride system to rent a carriage and headed out, each taking shifts. Sky skipper had her head laying against Moon Shadow’s flank as she looked up into the stars.

“I got you in my sights.” Heart throb calls out, grabbing my flank. I yelp causing her to chuckle mischievously before she pounces on Moon Shadow. Sky Skipper then jumps on the pony pile causing them to to shriek.

“So hey… Heart Throb… if you don’t mind… can i ask how the Crimson Raider came to be?”

Heart Throb drops the playful antics, sitting back in her seat.

“I’m not sure how, really.” she says. “I only know the story of Daring and me, but before then is a myth at best.”

“Ooh! Story time!” Skipper jokes, scooting in. “Me first! Me first!”

“I believe that we should start in order don’t you think?” Moon Shadow reprimands.

“Does it really matter?” Clever Clover says.

“The story starts with the Crimson Lance,” Heart Throb snaps, hushing the others. “ a highly trained private military force of the Atlas corporation. Used to enforce a form of dictatorial law upon civilians in their domain.”

“Yeah, they and are considered by many to be "Serious Badasses".” Sky skipper says, nudging me. “That is until… “

“Hush. Am I telling the story or no?” Heart Throb says, kicking Sky Skipper in the flank. “The Crimson Lance brigade on the planet decided to build a base and fortify it. They are known to heavily prefer the use of military might to get their way.”

“When the first Vault key fragment was rumored to be found, the commotion attracted the attention of the local Lance garrison commander Commandant Steele to take action. She used her forces to attack and seize havens, murdering it’s civilians without mercy.” Moon shadow adds.

“Then Vault Hunters were declared to be enemies and savages, meant to be shot at and killed on sight to keep them out.” Clever inquires. “The Crimson Lance manage to reach the objective first, and with the Vault hunters as witnesses Commandant Steele performs the final act of the Lance; opening the Vault and unleashing the horror within.”

“They released a beast called Destroyer, and the commander had gotten her comeuppance.” Moon Shadow winces. “It eating her on sight. And even though it was the original vault hunters who defeated the beast, they would later be blamed for releasing it by the remainder of the Crimson Lance.”

“A former soldier of the Crimson Lance, Radar, the highly trained private military of the Atlas corporation stepped up and created the Crimson Raiders after the Crimson Lance sworn in General Knoxx, the very first general.” Heart Throb mentions. “General Knoxx proved himself to being worse than Commander Steele tenfold with his antics while Radar picked up the pieces. First, it was Daring in Thousand Cuts after breaking down the only safe haven’s wall looking for a person who knew how to read some script in a nearby vault. When Radar got there, the town was in ruin.”

“It’s heard the when Radar found Daring, he had backed himself into Caution’s Crossing while in Berserker mode.” Sky skipper remarks. “The story is blurred from then on what kind of beast Daring had slain but last time the story was told it was a thresher.”

“I was next,” Clever reveals. “ I need money to get out of a hard spot that i was in. And so at the age of 17, I won an interplanetary sharpshooting competition with a revolver. The other competitors who were using sniper rifles, accused me of cheating and made me cough up the reward along with a few teeth. They dragged me to a cave and left me to die. That’s where i met a baby Hemospec that had fallen out of his nest and broke his wing.”

“Both Shenanigans and i was sold to sold to Hyperion, i was sold to be eye candy for the sin Lust and she was to become test subjects for Jack's slag mutation experiments. After our escape, i was captured again and was saved by Radar.”

“Sky Skipper and i was born of the same father, separately.” Moon Shadow explains. “I was born and grew up in a wealthy family in a “wealthy” haven capital, having lived happily until about 10.”

“And i lived in a moderate home in the sky until i was 6.” Sky Skipper concludes. “Hyperion was collecting pegasi to train as “Soldiers” but i refused to go. I fell from the sky, barely knowing how to fly just yet.”

“That same day, Hyperion burned my home to the ground, and when i thought life couldn’t get any worse, i saw Sky Skipper tear open the cloudy sky as she fell. I had lost my cover when i caught her and she’s been with me since.”

“It wasn’t until following the defeat of General Knoxx, that the Atlas Corporation abandoned all remaining Crimson Lance soldiers on Pandora.” Heart Throb finishes. “Radar used this opportunity to rally the Lancemen against Hyperion, pledging to give them a cause their previous employer could not promise them, forming the Crimson Raiders.”

I sit in silence, overwhelmed.

“I think we broke her.” Sky skipper boasts. “Awesome, i know!”

Moon Shadow kicks Sky Skipper in the flank, rolling her eyes.

“So what happened to radar.”

“Rolans was captured by Sloth’s arena after the last time someone went up against the court of sins. He was the only one who didn’t make make it out that time when we raided the Stronghold.”

“The Bloodshot stronghold?”

“We were fighting the Mauler att the time. The three brother’s sold Radar of to sloth and then was dumped into a vat of corrosives.” Clever responds. “I was more then willing to put them down but Warning Shot pleaded for me not to.”

“Alright, enough of the moody talk.” Heart Throb orders. “ From now one, we worry about Firestone and getting back to Daring. Yes?”

“Sounds like plan.” i smile.

aftermath

Warning Shot didn’t seem to mind if everyone hated them, she only cared that her brothers was left unharmed. She made it blatantly obvious when she told all those who threatened her to sit on her horn and spin, and if they weren’t grateful to have a place to stay for the night, that Mauler hadn’t been fed yet and she was more then willing to feed him now, before retiring for the night in the basement.

Sleeping in the Stronghold was damn near impossible. I just wasn’t used to the place and i also couldn’t sleep where we had slaughtered many. Most of the bandits that co-aside at the Stronghold Sternum still gives us dirty and fearful looks when we pass.

Eventually, i couldn’t stand it anymore and decided that som air was what i needed. And apparently, i wasn’t the only one.

For some strange reason, Mauler was not at his usual spot, allowing a gray pegasis to sit where he would. She looked up at the stars. She wing was in a sling, indicating that she wasn’t flying anytime soon.

“Strange, isn’t it?” she says. “ That they came back for us, i mean. They sold us off in the first place. So why did they rescue us?”

“They only sold you out of fear of Hyperion.” I justify.

“And who ain’t scared of Hyperion? Doesn’t make it right.”

“No, it doesn’t. That’s why they saved you. Why we saved you.”

She nods, her gaze returning to the stars.

“For somepony who ain’t afraid of fighting skags, bandits, badasses, diamond dogs and hyperion soldiers...Nothing made me feel more humiliated then that cage.” she says. “ I couldn’t do anything in that cage, nothing but accept my defeat.”

“How’d you get caught?”

“I had just got done with a mission to get some shock crystals when i saw the prettiest gems deeper in the cave. I was ecstatic to see them, but didn’t have the equipment to dig them up...so i went back to the town...only to be caught by Hyperion soldiers.” she sighs. “ They baited me in by holding a gun to a young colt. I had been putting up a fight until then, but i-”

“You did the right thing.” I nod.

“I know i did. But they didn’t keep true to their promise.” she spats. “Once i walked into the cage, the field went up and the gun went off…”

Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them escape, blinking. A slight sniffle was all she could manage, barely holding herself together.

“I never felt so pathetic. I couldn’t...there was nothing…”

I couldn’t think of anything to say. What could i say? I don’t think when i lost my parent or Secret Tale and her predicament is the same, so i might not be able to relate...even though i really want to. I wasn’t close enough to comfort her, either. So i sat awkwardly, saying nothing.

“I’m sorry.” she says. “Here i am, crying in front of a stranger. Talk about Pathetic.”

“No. Not at all.” I say, softly. “ Pandora is unkind sometimes. It’s times like these that we can be humane. Moments like these don’t come often enough.”

“Yeah.”

“Uh….I’m Vault Hunter.”

“Sapphire Scavenger.”

“Well….you’re not crying in front of a stranger anymore.” I try. She giggles, lightheartedly.

After the talk with Sapphire, i started to feel naked without my goggles. Secret Tale’s goggles. Sometimes it feels as if those goggles helped me see Pandora in a whole new light, see people for who they are and what they represent, just like she did. It felt...as if she was still here…

I shake my head at the thought.

Secret Tale is dead, and should stay that way.

“Looking for these?” Heart Throb asks, twirling my goggles with her hoof.She throws it up when i reach for them, Sky Skipper grabbing them and flying around.

“What’s so important about these anyway, what’s your deal?”

“It’s from a deceased friend.”

“Oh, i see.” Sky Skipper says, tossing them on the drowsy Moon Shadow. She takes them off and throws them, Daring catching them before they hit the ground. He motions me over but holds up my goggles when i reach for them, pulling back when i reach out for them.

“What was up with you out there?” he says.

“What are you talking about?” i say, frantically reaching for my goggles.

“You know exactly what i’m talking about.”

I press into him harder, reaching higher. But then i remembered that i was a unicorn...duh. I levitate my google out of his hoof, trying to pull back, but he holds me in place. His muzzles presses against my ear.

“You trust me, don’t you? Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s just, the last time i was over my head, i was the only one that survived.” I whisper, glancing at my goggles. Daring backs up a little, his hold weakening as his eyes softens.

“We’re for you now. The Doctor...Derpy...me...everypony else. So…” his voice breaks off. “Don’t go hiding off behind your goggles, kay? We are a team, practically family now.”

“O-okay.” I stammer.

“Ah, young love.” Heart Throb sighs.

“Get a room!” Sky skipper calls out, making fake gagging noises.

And for the second day of the night, i managed to utterly humiliated myself. It sounded like a plea more than anything. As if he was genuinely worried about me, even though we have barely known each other for a day. I wasn't obligated to tell him anything, have no reason to stay or trust anyone. If i wanted to leave, i could and no one could stop me…

Like family, he says. How can he use that term so loosely?

Opening Hyperion crates is like opening presents on Christmas. Some disappoint, others don’t. Tick tock and Doctor was the easiest to please, digging through the technology and remains of any loaders or buzzards we fought against.

They chattered excitedly, swapping ideas on what part should be used for what, what new inventions should be made, and so on.Venandi loved all the new Hyperion guns that we looted. Though out of ammo, she was more than happy to pawn them off for parts and loot in general.

Derpy had found little in the pile that interested her, trotting off to WyldStyle’s while the others looted. It was no fun watching others open presents.

I follow after her.

“We’re kidnapped for one day and the place falls apart,” sighs a yellow earth pony, trotting over to the back. Another pony, the palest purple i’ve ever seen went behind the counter, checking to see what she had lost in the liquor department, grumbling under her breath. A pink pony hopped skipped and jumped, seeming trying to look for any and all food.

A gunshot goes off in Derpy’s direction, causing her shield to go off to protect her. A whirlwind of bubble swirled around her then dispersed in one large blast, a hundred dozen of the bubbles popping at once.

The whole interior of the diner was squeaky clean, the odor of spilled and mixed alcohol passed. The floors now showed the natural redwood coloring and the counters now was clean enough to see your reflection. The bullet fired at Derpy landed on the ground, it being the only thing out of place at the moment.

The yellow pony held what looked like a pistol, picking up the bullet to reveal that it was only rubber.

“As much as i love getting my customers wet, don’t you think that could’ve been handled better?” Says the purple pony, blowing her wet mane out of her face.

“Hey, it got the job done.Speaking of jobs…” WyldStyle looks over at me. If you need any work Vault Hunter, you can come on down. I want to make it clear to these goddamn bandit clans, that i am a force to reckon with.”

“Ooh! Me too! Me Too!” says the pink pony, pouring cherry pie topping, sugar, whipping cream, and cinnamon into a bowl. “If you need any help, i can give you missions too!”

“Or if you want to learn something new, test your skills, or even just want a drink.” says the purple pony.”I’m your mare.”

“Uh...thanks.” i say.

“No, thank you.” they say in unison.

That night i dream of Secret Tale, her singing to what looks like some foal in her arms.

A green pony walks up, wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzles her and the foal. But then there was a flash, and then she was crying and he seemed to be missing an arm, the foal nowhere to be found.

Another flash happens and Secret tale storms into a village, killing ponies left and right, screaming for one stallion in particular. And when she found him, he cowered in fear and begged for forgiveness.

A shot goes off, blood splattering everywhere.
She walks away without a word, coat covered in blood.

I wake up in cold sweat, sitting up and trying to force air into my lungs.

Breath. It’s okay. Breath.