Return to Sender

by Chemtest

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Original Character, Science Fiction, Comedy, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Death, Fallout, Human, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 14389

A broken man is forged together again.

The Wasteland: a place where all that is good and pure dies. Men may hold to ideals they find good, yet they can rarely ever meet them. Democracy, freedom, safety, all are just words to be thrown around by corrupt bureaucrats wanting to secure more power. A place where the hero is the villain, and the madmen are the heroes.

Equestria: the land of plenty, where ponies can go their entire lives without a single issue or problem. Where the good are told they thrive, and where ponies are told no evil survives. Freedom, safety, harmony, the ideals everything is supposed to meet. The heroes have time to throw parties, and the villains are never heard from.

Yet all it takes is one man to save both the realms. One man to cleanse the Wasteland, and one man to reveal the truth to the Equestrians.

The Courier.

Published 2018-04-12 03:40:07 UTC
Last updated 2019-08-13 02:26:36 UTC

Courier

He walks calmly, the dust within the wind pelting his duster. It gets trapped in his filthy, black hair that stinks of blood. His brown eyes remain unprotected, yet the dust seems to avoid them.

A creature crawls out of the ground, and tries to run into the distance. It never gets to take a step.

He rips the revolver out of his holster, and fires at the horrid creature.

The Tunneler explodes into bits of blood and guts, the explosion from the shot killing it instantly.

He smiles as he kicks past the blood, not caring if it makes his boots any more filthy.

He gets to the end of the path, and turns around. His eyes behold the collapsed buildings once again. He can barely pick out the shapes of Marked Men rushing about in a panic, and fighting off the rabid Tunnelers.

He looks into the distance, spotting the end of the Divide. A building that has collapsed, and killed the only other human that knew what he had done. Ulysses was a good Courier, and he gave up the gift of the nukes. Now they can be used as they should, killing the guilty and corrupt instead of the innocents within the Mojave.

He turns his back on the destroyed town, and continues back to the Mojave.

———

He smiles as he picks the duster out of the box. The final gift from Ulysses, and quite a good one at that.

He slips out of his battered, old duster and slips on the new one. A nice, yellow ‘21’ sits on the back of the duster.

With that done, he looks into the distance. An earth shattering boom reaches him, and two mushroom clouds can be seen.

Yet there were a lot more than two nukes. And a lot more than two targets.

The Long 15, Mariposa, Boneyard, Necropolis, Arroyo, New Reno, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Denver, and the place where the Twisted Hairs used to live.

Both the NCR and the Legion almost destroyed in the same day.

The Courier laughs as he thinks about what he’s done. Getting revenge on the NCR, stopping the Legion, protecting New Vegas. All in a giant explosion. How beautiful.

Yet, as he is enjoying the sight, a shot rings out.

The Courier jumps behind a rock, and hears bullets impact it.

He smiles, and takes out his rocket sledgehammer. He holds it in front of him, and chucks it back whilst activating the rocket.

The sledgehammer spirals through the air, spinning like a sideways boomerang. The rocket hits the NCR soldier in the face, exploding and killing the soldier instantly.

The Courier vaults over the rock when he hears the explosion, drawing out his grenade chainsaw. Two soldiers stand side by side, trying to wipe off the blood of the comrade that is now on them.

Neither of them notice as the Courier charges them and revs his grenade chainsaw. Until he reaches one of them, and cuts through them. Each time the grenade hits the body, it explodes, and the next one hits.

The Courier looks at the other soldier as he raises his gun. He knocks the rifle out of the soldier’s hands, and raises his Pip-Boy. He does this so he can instantly wrap a land mine around his fist. He exits out of the Pip-Boy, and punches the soldier in his face. The landmine explodes on impact, killing the soldier.

The Courier looks down at his new duster, and sighs as he sees the bloodstains on it. Yet he doesn’t have much time to care, as he hears a shout, “Retribution!”

A Legionary comes around a rock, machete drawn and charging. The Courier responds promptly, picking a grenade out of his pocket.

He charges up to the man, easily dodging a slash of the machete. The Courier grabs his arm, and breaks it, causing the machete to fall to the ground. With that done, he kicks the man in the leg with the heel of his boot. A crunch sounds out, and the man has to kneel.

The Courier takes the pin out of his grenade, and shoves it into the man’s mouth. He looks up to see more rounding the corner. So he picks the man up, and shoves him towards the others.

The man crumbles to the ground, halting the advance of his comrades. Then the grenade goes off. It kills him instantly, and disables the other two.

The Courier sighs, and throws a mini nuke towards the group.

He turns to face New Vegas in the distance, and leaves without looting a single body there.

———

Julia Farkas smiles as he walks in, “Ah, Courier, you’ve been gone for a while.”

He smiles, “Well, I was busy. Had an old friend to meet. Met a new friend as well.” He leans on a table, “If a cocky ghoul named Dean Domino comes in here, allow him in.” He picks up his Pip-Boy arm, “I have a lot of medicine here for you. Ten stimpacks, twenty Med-X, fifty cases of Rad-Away and Rad-X, some tins of Fixer, and thirty Doctor’s Bags. Oh, I also have some information to relay to Arcade.”

She nods, “Go ahead.”

He takes out five holotapes, “Tell him to give these to Veronica.” He takes a duster, and places it on the table, “Tell him he can have my old duster, if he wants.” He smiles, and takes out a shiny, new anti-material rifle, “Oh, and get this to Boone as a birthday present.”

She nods, “I’ll make sure to do that. Thank you for the donations, many people’s lives will be saved by them.”

He nods as he exits the office, “See ya later, Julia, I’ll have more medicine.”

And so he walks out of the Old Morman Fort, and onto the streets of Freeside.

No longer is Freeside the slums it once was. Street vendors and stores sit on every corner, and paid militia wander the streets to stop crime. Each group of the militia have at least one Securitron.

The Courier walks up to one of the groups, “Howdy. Might I be able to talk with Yes Man?”

The leader of the group smiles and nods, “Sure ya can, Courier. Go right on ahead.”

Yes Man turns to face me, “Ah, Courier! I didn’t know you had arrived back!”

The Courier smiles, “Well, I was on my way out, actually. I may be gone for a while, so I just wanted to let you know.”

Yes Man speaks once more, “Alright then!”

He nods, “Oh yeah, could you get the basement of the Lucky 38 expanded?”

Yes Man’s screen flickers, “And why is that?”

The Courier motions to the gates, “There are nukes out there. I am going to go secure them, and bring them back. I need the Lucky 38 to be able to hold them.”

Yes Man nods the best he can, “I’m already on it!”

He smiles, “Thanks, Yes Man.” He nods to the militia, “Go on ahead.”

———

The Courier pushes open the doors. Yet the door gives without any resistance. Odd, but it’s a pre-war facility, things are always odd.

He sees the nuke in the center of the room, and walks up to it.

Yet when he reaches the nuke, he hears someone cough.

His eyes widen, and he quickly smashes open the glass that holds the switch to explode.

He then spins around, keeping his hand near the switch. He is met with the sight of NCR soldiers and Legionnaires, all with deadly weaponry pointed right at him. He smiles as he sees two men approaching him, “Ah, Vulpes, Oliver. You two come here often?”

Oliver glares at him with undisguised hate, “Courier. Do you even know what you have done?”

He scratches his chin, “Well, I ate a deathclaw pie for lunch, talked to Julia, walked over here-“

Oliver shouts, “You killed thousands of innocent people, you madman!”

He holds a finger up, “Innocent is very subjective, Oliver. They continued to live in your nation, even though they knew what you people have done to me.”

Oliver takes an aggressive step forward, “And what the hell have we done to you?!”

He thinks for a bit, “Good question, actually. I can remember exactly.” He leans forward, looking Oliver in the eyes, “And honestly, I don’t give a shit. I know it was something big. Just like those nuclear explosions. And the death toll.” He looks over to Vulpes, “And I know that you aren’t going to chew me out. I hope to god you don’t, or I will pull this switch even faster.”

Vulpes smiles slightly, “I have to admit, I respect you, Courier. The Legion is your enemy, and you fought against us. You struck deep. In one explosion, you now have instilled terror into us.”

He sighs, “Don’t phrase it like that. You’ll make me sound like a Muslim!” He looks at Vulpes, “Say it some different way. Like ‘I made your life more exciting by adding explosives’. See, that makes me sound like Michal Bay, who doesn’t want to be like Bay?”

Vulpes loses his smile, “I don’t really care anymore. You stole Ceaser’s life, and I shall take yours in exchange. You are weak compared to the Legion, and dumb compared to me.”

The Courier looks at Vulpes, “Well at least I don’t look like some ugly ass furry decided to vore me! And what about those glasses huh? What, you fucking blind? How do you even see out of something so black? And what about that skirt? What are you, fucking Scottish?”

Vulpes draws his machete, “You’ll pay for your insolence, profligate!”

Oliver holds out his hand, “Vulpes, stop!”

He looks over at Oliver, “And what about you, huh? Your uniform looks like someone with diarrhea shat all over you!”

Oliver draws his revolver, “Nevermind! Vulpes, let’s kill this bastard!”

The Courier smiles, and gives them both the middle finger, “My final words shall be marked down as such. Fuck the both of you!”

He pulls the switch, causing the nuke to go off immediately.

———

Yet he never feels the immense heat. He slowly opens his eyes.

He sees his middle finger still up, inches away from the face of a pony with white fur.

Celestia looks at the finger, and at the man, “I feel very offended by this.”

Escape!

The Courier looks around him, and sees ponies dressed in all sorts of fancy wear. They are in a building of marble and gold, and ponies with spears and armor mill around.

Suddenly, orange text appears in the corner of his eye.

‘Started: Friendship?

Convince the pony to forgive you.’

The Courier smiles at Celestia, and lowers his finger, “Sorry, that was intended for another furry.”

Celestia glares at him, “Guards, arrest this creature.”

‘Failed: Friendship?

Started: Plan B.

Find a way out of this mess.’

He hears hooves approaching behind him, and the tip of a spear on his back.

He spins around quickly, pulling the spear out of the guard’s hold. He throws it aside, and kicks the guard’s front leg. With a snap, it breaks, allowing him to quickly get behind the guard, with an arm around his neck, and draw his revolver.

He holds the guard up, and points his revolver at every other guard approaching him. He smiles, “You don’t want to do anything more. Don’t you know how hard it is to clean blood out of-“ He nods towards Celestia, “White?”

The guards all stop, yet their eyes don’t move from him. Celestia looks at him from her throne, “What now? You think you’ll just walk out of here?”

He nods, “Yep.” He looks at the guard, “Tell me, what’s your name?”

The young stallion looks at him with panic, “Spear-Strong Spear!”

He looks back to Celestia, “You wouldn’t want young Spear here to die, would you? You don’t want to go to his family and tell them he died all because some random creature insulted you, right?” He moves the revolver to Spear’s head, “So you will let me leave, and all will be fine.” He tilts his head, “Unless you want your guard to die? Imagine how that would look to the media. ‘Guard dead because of a single insult to the leader’. Oh, how horrifying of a headline that would be.”

She looks at Spear, seeing the horror within his eyes. She looks back at the Courier, and she sighs, “Let them go.”

He nods, “Good choice.” He leans down to the guard, “I need you to just continue cooperating, and you’ll be fine.”

They start to move out of the room, with Spear facing towards the guards that still follow them. He staggers along, “I won’t be fine. You broke my leg, I won’t be able to be a guard anymore!”

The Courier drags him along, “Oh, that’ll heal up just fine. I only broke one bone, don’t be such a child.”

Spear sighs, “That really doesn’t help.”

The Courier exits into the streets of Canterlot, “That wasn’t supposed to help, it was supposed to shut you up. Pro tip for hostage situations, the one holding your life doesn’t want to hear your fucking whining. It’s annoying, it hurts my ears, and it makes them want to shoot you more.”

Spear whimpers as the Courier drags him along more.

Yet it is then that the Courier looks up, and sees a pegasus with a bow. It is notched, and pointed right at him.

He pushes Spear away, and rolls out of the way. Just in time, as the arrow impacts right where he was a second before.

He points his revolver into the sky, and with the help of VATS, he shoots the bow. The resulting explosion sends the pegasus through a nearby window.

He looks at his compass, only to see red appearing everywhere. Guards come from the gates of the Palace, chasing after him.

He shoots at the ground, causing the cobbled street to explode. The rubble flies in the faces of the guards, and trips the front runners.

He turns away from the palace, and starts running south.

Ponies jump out of his way, not a single one wanting to get in the way of him.

All goes well, until he reaches the gates of Canterlot. A white stallion stands on the other side of the gate, his horn lit up, and a pinkish shield covers the gate.

Shining Armor smiles, “You’re trapped! Surrender, and face justice!”

The Courier looks at the shield, and nods, “Ah, a forcefield. You must be really creative, aren’t you?” He smiles, “You think I don’t know how to deal with these?” He puts up his Pip-Boy, and a sci-fi looking gun appears. He pulls the trigger, and a loud bark fills the air. The sound waves hit the shield, and break it instantly.

Shining Armor stumbles back, his horn slightly smoking. He stumbles all around, unable to get stable. He looks at the Courier, “You broke my shield?!”

He nods, “Yep.” He then fires the gun once more, hitting Shining Armor with it.

Instead of dying or anything like that, he just flops over. Seems like the Courier scored a crit.

He throws the gun aside, and it returns to his inventory.

Yet the shield did slow him down quite a bit, causing the guards behind him to catch up.

He calmly walks through the gates, taking a few C4 out of his pocket. He throws them all over the arch of the gate, sticking them at the most optimal spots.

He walks out the other end, and takes the detonator out of his pocket. He turns around, and sees the guards about to reach the gates. He smiles, waves, and presses the detonator.

The C4 go off, collapsing the gate into a pile of rubble. The guards all stop in their tracks, unable to pass.

The Courier slips the detonator away, and continues down the path away from Canterlot.

‘Canterlot: Shunned.

Ponies don’t know much about you, all they know is that you caused a bit of chaos. Nopony’s gonna attack you, just don’t expect to be respected.’

The Courier shrugs off the message, and pays attention more to the other one.

Plan B:

Find a way out of this mess.

See if you can find any pleasant company nearby.’

He looks over at the map on his Pip-Boy, and sees two new locations.

Canterlot, right behind him. And, at the end of the path, Ponyville.

He continues to walk down the path, on the way to Ponyville.

Introduction

The Courier reaches into a pocket, taking out a cardboard box. He flips it open, and takes a cigarette from within. He then takes a platinum lighter from the same pocket, and lights the cigarette.

He looks forward, and sees the town growing ever closer. He finally takes a second to stop and rest. He breathes in the comfortable smoke, usually a much better flavor than the air back in the Wasteland. Yet as he stands here, in a place where plants grow all around, and animals live in harmony, he takes a breath of real air.

The freshness and purity in the air fills his lungs, almost glowing with energy. Not the radioactive glow of nuclear winter, but a bright glow of energy.

He closes his eyes, letting the wind blow through his dead hair. It seems to grow lighter, all the dust and ash within now blowing away with the wind. His face relaxes, now not having to fight against the wind. And his duster blows as well. No longer is it a shield to serve against the dust, but instead a way to capture the wind.

He opens his eyes once again, looking to the skies. Where all shines blue and unhindered, with not a single cloud nor building in the way. Only the pegasi block the sky, claiming it as their own domain, yet leaving enough for him to enjoy.

A pleasant feeling of coolness comes through the air. Cool, yet far from cold, and bordering on being warm. The type of weather you can’t get under the Vegas sun nor moon.

Others all around him stop and feel the same cool breeze. Bunnies, foxes, birds, and not a single one is trying to kill him nor each other.

Yet the view is stopped by smoke floating in front of his vision.

He puts the cigarette back into his mouth, and continues down the path to Ponyville.

———

He goes off the path, wading instead through the grass and plants. A river runs nearby, and he needs to fill up his canteen.

He takes out his canteen, empty of Wasteland water. He puts it in the river, and waits for it to be full. When it is, he raises it up, and takes a deep swig.

Purity and freshness. More fresh than anything he had ever drank in Vegas. More fresh than the whiskey, more fresh than the sarsaparilla, more fresh than purified water from the Ultra Luxe.

Yet all is not perfect. As he hears low growling coming from across the river.

He looks across, and sees what seems to be a manticore from legend.

It growls at the invader to it’s river. It paws at the ground, and spreads it’s wings.

He looks at the cat like creature, interested at the first sign of an unusual creature in this world, not counting the ponies.

He smiles, and takes a piece of gecko meat. He tosses it over to the cat.

The manticore looks at the odd meat, prodding at it and sniffing it. After a minute, it decides to trust the man, and eat the meat.

The Courier stands up, and wades through the water to the manticore. He reaches the creature, and pets it’s mane.

The manticore starts to stumble around, until it starts to vomit blood. The Courier smiles, even as the manticore falls over and chokes on it’s own blood.

He takes out a hunting knife, and kills the manticore mercifully.

He then sticks his arm through the manticore’s skin, until it reaches his Pip-Boy. Then, the entire creature is reduced down to nothing but bones. The stinger, poison, wings, and meat all taken in an instant.

He smiles, glad to be rid of irradiated meat, and happy to revive new meat. He fills his water once more, and wades off to Ponyville.

———

He looks ahead with his binoculars, seeing the town a mile or two away. He straps them to his side, and continues on the path.

Yet, as he does so, he sees some bushes on the side of the path russle. He sees a blip on his compass, yet it is yellow, so he approaches with caution.

He pushes the bush aside, and steps within. He turns on his Pip-Boy flashlight, and sees the creature.

It looks like an insect version of a pony, with green eyes, and it’s entire body having holes in it.

The changeling looks up at the Courier, not able to summon much strength. He is dying from multiple wounds over his body. Stabs, burns, bites, and much more.

He uses the last bit of his magic to write something down on a piece of paper, and he pushes it toward the Courier.

He picks up the note, and nods to the changeling after reading it.

He takes out a knife, and kills the changeling instantly. Granting it mercy from it’s pain.

It dies smiling, and the Courier plugs his Pip-Boy into it. He then loots the body, and it disappears.

He looks at the note again as he exits the bush, noticing letters appear in his vision.

‘Started: Changeling of Plans.

Find Time Turner.

Even more appears in his vision.

‘Green Hive: Neutral.

This Hive only just heard of you, and acknowledge that you have tried to help them out. They won’t show any hostility, that’s for sure, but don’t expect to be getting all buddy-buddy with them.’

‘Brown Hive: Neutral.

You’re better than the ponies, that much is for sure. But you haven’t really done much for them. Their doors won’t be closed, but don’t expect them to be wide open either.’

‘Blue Hive: Accepted.

They’ve heard of you helping the Green Hive, so they want to try and be nice. They’ll heal you, just don’t expect any visit to be free.

‘Red Hive: Liked.

They’ve heard of your exploits in Canterlot, and would be glad to welcome such a warrior into their home. Your gall by insulting the Princess, your cleverness by escaping, your strength by defeating her guards, and your composure during the entire ordeal has made you the talk of the Hive. They respect you as a warrior, make no mistake, and would be glad to welcome you into their ranks.’

He nods at the messages, and looks at his compass. Even with the new quest, it still points towards Ponyville.

He continues on, intent on delivering the message.

Ponyville

He walks into the town, and immediately decides to crouch.

He then walks from his crouched position, all the way to the market. Not a single pony notices the creature now in their face, tricked by the power of the crouch.

He walks up to a stall, and steals a bucket from one pony passing by, somehow not alerting the pony at all. He then slips it over the merchant’s head, and steals the produce on his table. With that done, he then takes the bucket off.

He finally comes to a full stand in order to engage in conversion. The ponies all around him look at him like he came out of nowhere, yet none of them run away.

He smiles, and leans on the counter, “Good day, merchant.”

The pony smiles back, not noticing her fruits and vegetables missing, “Well, hello there, sir. Would you like to buy some apples? Or perhaps some cherries?”

He shakes his head, “Not today, thank you, but maybe later.” He motions around, “I’m new to town, and I was looking for someone by the name of Time Turner.”

The merchant nods, “Turner lives in the tall building in the distance, right over there. It’s his clock shop as well.” She looks back at him, “How do you know of him?”

The Courier looks at her for a second, quickly formulating a story, “Ah, he’s an old friend of mine. Went to a university together.”

The merchant smiles, “Hoofington Academy?”

The Courier nods, “Yeah, how’d you know?”

She laughs a bit, “Ah, Turner’s quite proud of his time at that school. And you sound like one of the folks from Appleloosa, or Los Pegasus. So I assume you’d go to Hoofington, considering that’s the best university in that area.”

He smiles, “Well, you sound like you know a lot about the world.”

She looks around, “Ah, that’s just what happens when you live in Ponyville. You don’t need to see the world, because the world will come and see you. Folks of all kinds come here on the way to Canterlot. Minotaurs, griffons, few changelings long time ago, tons of ponies, everyone you could ever want to meet. You are one of the most unique visitors I’ve seen, but unique is expected in Ponyville.”

He nods, “Reminds me of home. Raving madmen, gambling businessmen, homeless drunks, every Wasteland dweller.” He drops a few caps on her stand, “Here, for the information.”

She looks at them, “Bottlecaps?”

He smiles, “Keepsakes of mine. Should be worth a bit. Good day.”

He turns, and crouches. Nopony pays attention to him anymore as he moves to the tall building in the distance.

He eventually reaches it. A tower with a large clock proudly displaying the time on it. The bottom is the same width as the other houses, but is much taller in the end.

He rises from his crouch, and knocks on the door. A voice shouts from inside, “Come on in, it’s a public store!”

He opens the door, and moves on in, carefully shutting it behind him. The house is luckily tall enough for him to stand completely.

The tan stallion turns around, a green bow tie around his neck, and his hair spiky, yet combed. He smiles, “Welcome to Time Turner’s Time Tuning. You have a clock that is broken?”

The Courier shakes his head, “Something more important than that.”

Turner tilts his head, “A personal matter? Can it come after work? I am quite busy.”

The Courier remembers what was on the paper, “Metamorphosi, agente.”

He stumbles back in shock, “Oh.” He moves to a wall, and taps on it five times. The wall opens, a staircase leading down. He looks to the Courier, “Follow me.”

The two move down into the basement, the wall closing after them, and torches flaring to life.

They make it down to the bottom, where Turner takes off his bow tie, and ignites in green flame. He looks at the Courier, in his natural form, “So, either Queen Chrysalis or another agent decided to trust you. This must be quite important.”

He takes out the paper, and hands it over to Turner.

He takes the note, and reads it. After he does, he place it down, and begins to shake.

He turns towards the Courier, tears running from his eyes, and his face covered with sorrow, “They killed her. Traicere, Derpy. My assistant.” The tears start to evaporate from his face, and he looks at the Courier, “Thank you for bringing me this. But I need more help.”

The Courier nods, “They killed somebody you loved. I can help.”

Turner looks at a nearby table with hourglasses all over it. He yells, and knocks them all off, “Those pony bastards! We just wanted to sustain our lives! We just wanted to protect the Elements!” He slams his hoof down on the table, breaking it in half, “They’ll pay for this transgression against Chrysalis! They will pay for this transgression against me! And they shall not stop paying until the ones who killed her lay dead!” His eyes seem to burn with an internal fire as he faces the Courier once more, “My name is Tempus, an agent of Chrysalis and the Green Hive sent to spy on and protect the Elements from danger. You have done me a great favor by bringing me this. Help me with my new mission, and you’ll be a hero to every changeling.”

The Courier smiles as he feels the pistol on his side, “Sure, I’ll help.”

Tempus nods, “The ones who killed her need to pay. I don’t care who they are, they will pay. I need you to meet the Elements of Harmony, become their friend. Use them. Applejack is the Element of Honesty, and will help you in any interrogation. Twilight Sparkle can do magic, and can trace them. But in specific, Pinkie Pie is most powerful. She knows everyone in this town and all their little secrets.” He smiles, “Find bastard did this, then kill the fucker. Make sure I can see it as well, I want to see the bastard suffer.”

The Courier looks Tempus in the eyes, the need for revenge reminding him of himself.

He lost someone he loved. Who was it?

No matter how much he thinks and tries to remember, he just can’t.

He smiles back, “On it.”

‘Completed: Changeling of Plans.

Started: Green Sun.

Become friends with Pinkie Pie.’

Pinkie

The Courier walks into the gingerbread designed bakery. No line stands, apparently a slow time for customers.

He walks up to the counter, where a slightly chubby, blue mare stands. He smiles at her, “Good evening, miss.”

She smiles back, “Well hello there, you must’ve just arrived. Welcome to Sugarcube Corner.”

He nods, “Well, yes in fact, I’ve just arrived. Been wandering around Equestria, enjoying sights and ponies alike.”

She wipes the counter a little bit, “You haven’t got a friend to travel with?”

He shakes his head, “Nah, all of my friends had lives to live. I’m the only one who’s got the time and courage to do this. Besides, they’ve never had the spirit of a wanderer. Me, on the other hand, I’d like to say I got Wanderer in my blood. Even if I am on my Lone.” He smiles, and leans forward, “I knew I had to come to Ponyville. I’ve heard all about the kind ponies and beautiful, fresh air. I had a pony in Canterlot, just a day ago, tell me about how Sugarcube Corner is the best bakery this side of Hoofington.”

She looks up, “Oh, you did hear that? Who told you, if you caught their name?”

He fakes thinking for a bit, “Was a nice fellow in the guard, name of Strong Spear.”

She tilts her head, “Strong Spear? Did he happen to mention Sharp Spear?”

He shakes his head, “Can’t say I rightly remember.”

She smiles, “Sharp Spear’s the Captain of the Ponyville Guard. Very nice stallion, always very fair and calm. He comes in here often.” She nods, “Anyway, what’d you want?”

The Courier frowns, “There’s the issue. I sadly spent my last on a homeless pony back in Los Pegasus. Poor soul didn’t even have the money to buy cardboard in order to beg.” He sighs, and pulls a few bottlecaps out of his pockets, “The only things I have left that would carry any value are these bottlecaps. Keepsakes of mine, yet sadly aren’t money.”

It is then that a pink blur comes shooting out of the kitchen, “Did I hear that right?! A new pony without money and without friends?!” The pink blur stops in front of the Courier, revealing a pink pony that is constantly bouncing, “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, although you can call me Pinkie! I know everypony in town! Oh, I haven’t thrown you a party yet! Oh, oh, what’s your name? What’s your favorite color? Oh, what hobby do you love?”

The Courier smiles at her, “Hello, Pinkie. I’m the Courier. I gotta say that I love the color red. I love traveling.”

Pinkie bounces around to face the blue mare, “Oh, Miss Cake, can I get a cupcake for Mister Courier?”

She smiles, and takes a cupcake from the showcase, “Sure, go ahead and eat it, Courier, and good luck with Pinkie.”

Pinkie bounces all around, “Oh, you seem a lot like my family! They just arrived in town last week, and I think you’ll probably make quick friends!”

The Courier nods, “Why don’t you show me around, then. I would certainly love meeting folk like me.”

She bounces to the door, bashing it open with her entire body, “Come on!”

Miss Cake smiles at the Courier, “Good luck.”

He looks after Pinkie, “I like her style.”

———

Pinkie bounces down the street, the Courier walking alongside her. She smiles, “So, you mentioned your friends to Miss Cake back there. Wanna talk about them?”

He smiles, “Ah, well, they were an odd bunch. There were a main group of them though. Raul, he was a mechanic, very good at fixing things. Veronica was kinda like him, except she liked punching things, and could only repair things that punched. Boone was a very pratical man, used to be military. Lily was old, and thought I was her grandchild. She was sweet, very pure lady. Christine, she couldn’t talk, but she was very fun to hang around. Arcade was a man of science, the brightest bulb of the bunch. And Dean Domino. He was a singer, pretty arrogant, but he knew how to make everything a show.”

Pinkie laughs, “Twilight would probably like Arcade. She spends all her time with machines and science and all that other stuff. And Dean sounds like Dashie! She’s an athlete, yet she is always putting on air shows for us. Where are they, Courier?”

He sighs, “Far away now. Living happy lives.” He looks up, “I was the mayor of the town. I turned slums into thriving streets. I left, but I’m sure Boone and Arcade can probably take over for me as I’m gone. I just hope Arcade is taking care of Rex.”

She looks over at him, “Is Rex your pet?”

He nods, “Yep, best dog on the west coast. Old dog, had to go through a lot of surgery, yet he is very loyal.”

Pinkie smiles, “Fluttershy would probably like Rex, considering her entire thing is animals.” She then looks at where they are, “Ah, we arrived!”

The Courier looks, and sees they are in front of a hotel. They walk in, and the only pony in the lobby is the receptionist. Although the tag on him also says that he owns the hotel.

He looks up as the two enter, and his eyes widen as he sees the Courier. He coughs, “Uh, sir.”

The Courier turns to face him, “Yeah?”

He nods, “Uh, magnis brunneis exploratorem.”

The Courier smiles, “Go on ahead, Pinkie. I’ll chat with the owner for a bit.”

They both watch as Pinkie goes bounding up the stairs. The hotel owner looks at the Courier. His pony form melts away in brown fire, revealing the brown changeling underneath. He smiles, “Deversorium, agent from King Laevus, Brown Hive. I’m here to protect the Elements of Harmony from harm, just like Tempus. Don’t worry, I’ve already heard of what happened to Traicere. I will gladly help you out in your revenge, just ask for anything and I can probably provide it.”

A shout comes from the top floor, “What?!”

Deversorium looks at the Courier, “Her father was sent to the hospital last night, so she’ll be dragging you over to there. Find the one named Doctor Stable, and give him the code ‘verus medicus’.” Hoof steps come rushing down the staircase, and he switches back to pony form. He smiles at the Courier as Pinkie comes downstairs, and says one final thing, “Come on back later tonight, Courier. I could give you a place to stay while you’re here.”

Pinkie grabs onto the Courier’s arm, and starts dragging him away, “My dad’s in the hospital, we gotta make sure he’s alright!”

Lines of text appear in his vision as he is dragged off.

‘Green Sun:

Become friends with Pinkie Pie.

Investigate the Hospital for possible culprits.

Started: Brown Dusk.

Find Deversorium after the sun sets. ’

Hospital

Pinkie drags the Courier into the hospital, and the receptionist sees them immediately, “Ah, Miss Pie! I assume you are here about your father. You can go on in, he’s in room three.”

Pinkie drags him once more, going through the door like a rocket.

A doctor stands in the room, and nods at Pinkie as she enters, “Your father is going to be fine, Pinkie. Just a few cuts and bruises we had to patch up.”

She smiles at him, “Thank you, Stable!”

The Courier speaks as the doctor tries to exit the room, “Verus medicus.”

Stable nods, “Ah, yes, most astute observation there. I’ll be done with work in five minutes.” He then moves out the door.

He looks back, only to see Pinkie hugging her dad. Yet the only thing her dad looks at is the Courier, “What is that creature, daughter?”

He scowls for a second, and then hides it behind a smile, “Name’s the Courier, If that’s what you were asking. Pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Pinkie’s dad looks at his outstretched hand, “I’d shake, but I’m afraid it would hurt too much.” He nods, “Igneous Rock, why are you here, exactly?”

The Courier smiles, “Well, I was interested in what got you here. I am quite adept at medicine, myself.”

Igneous narrows his eyes, “I fell down the staircase at the hotel.”

The Courier walks closer, “Oh, really? Then how’d you get all these cuts all over you?”

He frowns, “The hotel had exposed nails in the staircase.”

The Courier leans in, “They had exposed nails on their carpeted staircase? I suppose it is possible, but it still doesn’t explain the burns on your body.”

He scoffs, “I fell into the fireplace, what does it matter?”

The Courier leans off, “Well, those cuts imply you were attacked by a knife, and the burns are too controlled to be from a regular fire. And those bruises seem to be in very specific places, places one could not reach if they were to fall. Especially not bruise from a simple carpeted staircase. And that chip in your tooth could be gotten from tripping, yes, but the staircase was not long enough as for you to injure everywhere including your teeth.” He looks back at Igneous, “Igneous, I’m not accusing you of anything. But if some creature did this to you, then I need to know. If something did this to you, it could easily do much worse to other ponies, or even your own family.”

His eyes relax for a second, showing that the Courier found the chip in his armor. Igneous smiles, “Thank you for the concern, and I’m glad you would want to protect my family. But I’ve told the truth, and I just got really unlucky with that staircase.”

The Courier nods, “Alright. I’ve seen stranger happen.” He walks back to the door, “I’m going to leave you two alone. Good day, Igneous, and see you later, Pinkie.”

He pushes the door open, and moves out into the hallway. Instantly he is met by Stable, who ushers him into a side room.

He shoves the door closed, locks it, and ignites in blue flames. He sighs in relief as he returns to his Blue changeling form.

But another changeling is in the room. It’s eyes glow red, and is wearing armor. He smiles, “Ah, hello, I am Hastam. Better known as Captain Sharp Spear, spy for the Red Hive and Queen Messorem.”

The blue changeling faces him, “Doctor Tectum, here for the Blue Hive and King Nullam.”

Hastam interrupts him, “Ah, but you are here for quests, yes? I want a vial of Timberwolf blood. I heard it is highly acidic, and I want to prank the new guard.”

Tectum sighs, “Always looking to give me new patients, aren’t you?”

He is knocked to the ground by a back pat, “You got that right, buddy!”

Tectum gets up, nodding to the Courier, “Right, well, I actually have something important. We have two patients with a rare condition that will kill them very soon. The only cure is the heart of a hydra.”

Hastam steps forward, “Oh, speaking of hearts, could you get me the heart of the Spider King?”

Tectum looks back at him, “Heart of the Spider King?! You are asking him to tear down an entire society!? What in the bloody seven cities of Tartarus makes you want the Spider King’s heart?!”

He smiles, “There’s this sexy as fuck griffoness that I invited for dinner, and I want to get in that.”

Tectum sighs, and bangs his head into the wall, “Whatever. Courier, go ahead and leave, I’m going to teach Hastam on what is right and wrong for a side-quest.”

The Courier leaves, finding it hard to navigate as text fills his vision.

‘Started: Red Dawn.

Kill a Timberwolf and take it’s blood.

Started: Blue Night.

Get the heart of a hydra.

Started: I Heart You.

Kill the Spider King and take his heart.’

Quests

He pushes open the hotel door as the moon rises.

‘Brown Dusk:

Find Deversorium after the sun sets.

Deal with the Manticore pack.’

He then starts to move towards the Everfree, his eyes quickly adjusting to the night.

He steps into the forest, his boots stomping down any foliage in the way.

———

Webs cover the ground and trees, a giant network of webs spans above. On them crawl spiders, who hiss and scatter from him as he shoves the webs out of the way. Webs can’t stop him, cannot even slow him down. If he could wade through blood and bodies stacked to his torso, then he can move through some webs.

Two spiders rush to the mouth of a cave, wearing light armor, and having spears attached to their sides. They hiss and stand their ground, even as they see the glowing embers of a cigarette grow closer.

He breathes in the smoke, and throws the last bit of the cigarette on the webs. A fire starts instantly, but some spiders come and stamp it out.

The two spider guards hiss at him, “Who is man-blood?! Why man-blood here!?”

The Courier smiles, “You know my species, do you?”

One spider guard takes a small step back, “Kin-blood on Earth-Realm, hear of man-blood and Great-War! Hear of Bull and Two-Bear!”

He nods, “Yeah, yeah, all that’s old news. Perhaps the better question is, have you heard of me? I’m the Courier, the one who sliced the heads off the Bear, and bathes in the blood of the Bull.”

The other spider steps forward, “Why Courier-Man here? Earth-Realm far away.”

He sighs, “Huh, sounds like you don’t know who I am. If you did, you would be running away or bowing down.” He pulls the revolver out of his pocket, “I’m here for the heart of your King.”

One spider guard laughs, “Venom-Fang not open to suitor-kin.”

The other one doesn’t take it as lightly, “Kin-blood, defend Spider-King!”

The Courier smiles, and fires off a shot at the guard. The spider explodes, and the explosion kills the other guard.

He then points the revolver at the trees, killing five spiders in one shot.

He fires four more times, until he runs out of ammo. He completed his objective, and can continue with what he has planned uninterrupted.

He takes a Molotov Cocktail out from his pocket, and tosses it onto the webs and trees.

The smoke immediately begins filling the air, and spiders screech as they are burned by the spreading fire. This allows ample time to complete the mission without being ambushed.

Spiders get in his way as he moves to the throne room. Yet all are dispatched. Either by revolver, grenade, rocket sledgehammer, or simply getting stomped on.

But all spiders stop as he finally enters the throne room, instead trying to flee the caves.

He enters, and only one spider is in there. One who is easily as tall as the Courier, and is as wide as three securitrons. It hisses, “I King Venom-Fang! You kill kin-blood, you will pay!”

The Courier shrugs, “Sorry, but I have a quest to complete.”

Venom-Fang bares down on the Courier, “Civilization, thousand-moon old! You come and destroy to finish quest!? Millenia progress! Gone because of you!”

The Courier points his revolver at Venom-Fang’s head, and fires. A good amount of the King disappears, and the Courier smiles, “Done it before, done it again. Bull, they deserved it. Bear, they did something to me. And Spider, well, you got in my way.” He plunges his arm deep into the dead King, and takes everything he can.

‘I Heart You.

Kill the Spider King and take his heart.

Give the heart to Hastam before morning, and cook it yourself.’

Something shines in the back of the room, and it appears to be a chest. The Courier loots the inside, and picks out quite the good loot.

A sword, perfect for Lilly. A fancy shirt with some family crest, very late fifteenth century looking. A strange looking whip, like some sort of morning star, maybe Veronica would like this. And last is a very sharp wooden stick, with some dried blood on the end of it.

The Courier looks at the initials on the chest. ‘T.B’ it says. He closes the chest, and moves to the one next to it.

He opens the other chest, labeled ‘the King’s treasurey’ and takes from the inside of it.

‘Red Dawn.

Kill a Timberwolf and take it’s blood.

Get the vial of blood stolen from the King to Hastam.

Blue Night.

Get the heart of a hydra.

Return the heart you stole from the King to Tectum.’

He smiles, and moves back through the caves.

When he exits, he can’t see the fire burning anymore. The running spiders must have stomped it out.

Yet, one sound does reach his ears.

The screaming of children.

His mind is suddenly overcome with pain and fear.

He grabs his head, smelling deep the smoke, and begins to scream.

Visions. Visions appear in his mind.

A town burns. People scream as the ones next to them are executed. Women, children, men, all are killed and left to burn.

But then another bang sounds out, one of the executors fall over. The rest all turn around, and quickly gun down the kid that just shot their comrade.

He shouts out, “You fuckers! You’re all going to pay for this! I’ll find you!”

They turn to face him. Their brown armor covers them, and a two headed bear stands proudly on front of their armor. They all laugh at the man, and shoot the woman next to him.

He cries, “You bastards are all going to burn in Hell! You fucking cunts are all going to die!”

The leader of the crew laughs, and nods to his comrades as they kill the last person, “Leave him alive. We’re going to make him suffer.”

They pour gasoline all around, and eventually throw a match on it. The entire town ignites, and they leave the man tied and bound.

The fire grows closer, and the man throws every insult he can against the NCR. But they don’t untie him, they don’t spare another word.

Smoke fills his lungs, and the screams of the children fill his head.

The Courier smashes his head against the trunk of a tree, finally snapping out of the vision.

He holds his hands up, and slowly takes his gloves off.

He was just trying to learn how to throw a grenade, right? An explosion gone wrong?

The burns on his hand don’t clear anything up. The burn reaches up to his wrists. It must be from a mistake, something when learning timing.

The screaming children continue, sounding more distressed than before.

He slips the glove back on, and rushes through the forest to their call.

‘Started: Platinum.

Find out what the visions are.

Save the screaming children.’

Savior

He rushes through the forest, his moving like a blur, yet not complicating his breathing. Even as burned leaves turn to ash and get all over his boots, he continues onward.

The screaming grows louder and louder, with five red marks appearing on his compass, surrounding three yellow ones.

He lunges into a clearing, entering into VATS and blowing off the head of a manticore.

The four other manticores all face him, growling and charging him.

He looks to the three foals, and sees their eyes already looking wide at the dead manticore, “Close your godamm eyes, I will not be held accountable for traumatizing you!”

The three listen, yet the distraction was enough for the manticores to get close.

He rolls backwards as a stinger launches towards him. Yet, as he rolls, he grabs ahold of the stinger. His roll and his iron grip cause him to flip the manticore over. It impacts the ground quickly, and it’s skull breaks instantly.

He tears the stinger out of the body as he comes out of the roll, and throws it at another manticore. It hits the manticore’s eye, and he follows it up with an explosive bullet to the other.

Another manticore lunges at him, yet it doesn’t expect him to lunge back. The Courier whips out a knife, and makes sure to go right below the manticore. He holds his knife up as he goes under, gutting the creature.

He lands behind the rank corpse, and faces the final manticore. It swipes at him with a paw, yet is caught off guard as he catches it with his hand. With a twist, the paw breaks, and the manticore yowls in pain.

The Courier takes advantage of the open mouth. He takes out a grenade, and tosses it into the beast.

After a few seconds, the beast explodes, and it’s innards go flying around the clearing.

The manticore with a broken skull twitches about. Yet it’s twitching is ended by another revolver shot.

He looks towards the foals, “You can open your eyes, though I wouldn’t recommend it.”

All three of them open their eyes anyway, and balk upon sight of the carnage.

The Courier looks at his hands, and wipes some fresh blood on his duster. He smiles at the kids, “I recommend we get out of here.”

‘Brown Dusk:

Find Deversorium after the sun sets.

Deal with the Manticore pack.

Inform Deversorium of your accomplishment.

Platinum.

Find out what the visions are.

Save the screaming children.

Return the foals home.

Rectify your mistake.’

The foals look at him, and try to avoid getting near the corpses as they walk closer to him. The orange one looks up to his eyes, “Uh, thanks for saving us, I guess.”

He nods, “Let’s just get you three home. Where is your home anyway?”

The orange one speaks again, “Oh, uh, you don’t have to worry about that for me. Just bring me back to Ponyville and I’ll go home myself. Oh, I’m Scootaloo by the way.”

Then the yellow one, “I’m Apple Bloom. Applejack’s gonna be angry for this one.”

Finally, the white one, “Sweetie Belle, and yeah, Rairty isn’t going to be pleased.”

He laughs a bit, “Oh, you all look so worried. What, you think I’m going to snitch on you?”

They all look at him in unison, “You won’t?!”

He nods, “Oh yeah, why would I do that? You almost got killed, why would I want to add more punishment than permanent mental scarring?”

They all smile, and Apple Bloom speaks, “Thank you, Mister!”

He looks down at her, “Courier. I’m the Courier.” He suddenly looks all around him, “Oh shit.”

Apple Bloom tilts her head, “What was that, Mister Courier?”

He reaches into his pocket, and draws three grenades, “Alright you three, it’s time to learn some self defense. You take this thing, you pull this thing, you wait three seconds, you throw at what you want dead.” He tosses the grenades to the three, “Don’t hold it for any longer than three seconds, and don’t play around with it.”

Sweetie Belle catches her, “Why do we need these, Courier?”

“Grenades, they’re called grenades.” He takes the cigarette out of his mouth, and tosses it onto the leaves. He then takes out a Molotov and does the exact same. His eyes look all over, not liking the hoard of red on his compass, “We need to get out of here, now!” He points where his quest marker is, “Go! Run!”

The four start to run, their pace only increasing as they hear howls behind them. Yet, as the Courier runs, he notices the three of them are very, very slow. He growls, and scoops all of them in his arms.

He growls down at them as he runs through the brush, “When I say run, I mean run for your fucking lives you idiots!” He barely manages to take a machete out of his pocket, “Bloom, cut down any fucking bushes that get in our way!” He looks at the other two, “You two best yell your fucking heads off if you see anything!”

He looks forward again, dodging every branch in his way. Yet he focuses his eyes more as he hears the other two scream.

A Timberwolf stands directly in their path, “Bloom, hold that machete up! If you falter, than we are dead!”

She does as he asks, holding the machete straight up. This allows him to slide underneath the Timberwolf, and the machete cuts right through it’s belly. However, with the speed of the slide, the acidic blood doesn’t get on any of them.

He gets back up from the side, digging his heels into the dirt. He continues his run without losing any speed.

The Forest seems to get thinner and thinner, yet the hoard of manticores, timberwolves, and even a hydra grow ever closer.

He runs quicker and quicker, using his 10 Agility stat to it’s fullest. Even then, a Timberwolf is close enough as to where it lunges at his back.

———

Rarity rushes to the front door as a knock rings out on it. She opens the door swiftly, “Sweetie Belle!” She looks up, only to see something that clearly is not Sweetie Belle. He towers over her, and with the darkness, it’s almost impossible to see his face. He wears some long coat, with a bite taken out of the end. She smiles, and laughs nervously, “Oh, uh, can I help you?”

Sweetie Belle rushes past the Courier’s legs, and hugs Rarity.

Rairty looks down at the foal clinging onto her leg, “Oh, Sweetie Belle! It’s so late, you’re in trouble!”

The Courier smiles, “Actually, Miss Rairty, it was entirely my fault that Sweetie Belle here was out so late.”

Rarity looks up at him, “And who are you?”

He nods, “The Courier, we haven’t met. See, I was new in town, and needed a guide. But when I asked for help from this one pink pony, she simply gasped and vanished into thin air. So, hearing my plea for help around, Sweetie Belle decided to show me around. It seems the time got away from us.”

Rairty looks down at Sweetie Belle, “Oh, well, I suppose that was the right thing to do.”

He looks around, “And as we were on our tour, she was accosted by some other pink foal. Now I made sure that ruffian of a child won’t bother again by giving her quite scathing remarks on how rude she was being.”

Rarity smiles, “Oh, you took care of Diamond? Well, thank you. Sweetie has been complaining about her for a while.” She looks at him again, “Tell you what, how about you come in for a bit, and I’ll take care of your duster for you.”

He shakes his head, “A kind offer, but I’m afraid I have to postpone it. It grows late, and a lady needs her sleep.”

Rairty nods, “Well, yes, I suppose you are correct. Have a good night, Courier.”

As she turns around and shuts the door, Sweetie Belle gives the Courier a wink. In response, he just gives her a thumbs-up.

Apple Bloom walks up to him, “You sure that’s gonna work on my sister? She’s the Element of Honesty and all.”

The Courier nods, “Don’t worry, I know the perfect story for her.”

———

“See, I was wandering through the Everfree until I was surrounded by a group of Manticores. With that situation, I shouted for help, and tried to keep the creatures back however I could. You see, my knife was on the other side of the clearing, so I couldn’t do anything. That’s when your sister comes on through, and starts kicking all the critters. With enough time to get my knife, we were good enough to defeat three of them and high-tail it out of there.”

Applejack narrows her eyes, “You’re telling me that you and Bloom here fought off three manticores with nothing but a knife and a few kicks?”

The Courier meets her eyes, “That’s the truth.”

She smiles, “Well I’ll be, I didn’t know that little Bloom was already that strong! Alright, well, I suppose she’s fine then.” She looks at the Courier, “You wanna come in? We got a spare room, and you probably need somewhere to stay after that.”

He shakes his head, “No, but thank you for the hospitality. The hotel owner is an old friend of mine.”

Revenge

‘Green Sun.

Become friends with Pinkie Pie.

Investigate the Hospital for possible culprits.

Go back to Tempus.’

His quest list is down to just a few now. The hearts have been returned, the manticores taken care of, and the blood delivered.

He enters the clock store, the sun rising behind him. The door to the basement is wide open, and he takes the stairs down.

His boots stomp loudly on each stair, announcing his presence. Yet, every so often, there is a wet sound. Tiny drops of blood are spread over the stairs.

He reaches the bottom, where Tempus meets him. Tempus smiles, his eyes wide, “Ah, Courier! We found him! We found him, ha-ha! The bastard, the murderer!” He nods rapidly, “Thank you, thank you so much, Courier! Your favors to the others convinced them to help me! Tectum did blood work, Deversorium searched the room, and Hastam captured him!” He jumps back, jittering around and almost dancing in spot. He kicks a lever, and curtains part, “Introducing, the murderer, the heartless bastard!” The pony in the chair wakes as Tempus says the final words, “Igneous Rock!”

Igneous looks right at Tempus, “Changeling! Kidnapped me, plan to kill me? I knew not to trust your kind, you are nothing but murderers and parasites!” He writhes around in the chair, yet restraints hold him tight, “I won’t let you get my family without a fight! Let me go and I’ll show you how strong I am!”

Tempus dances to the side, laughing as he pulls out a tray full of knives, “Oh it’s time for revenge! It’s time to bring justice to this world! You kill the one I love, it’s time for you to go as well!”

Igneous looks towards the Courier, his eyes widening, “You. You told me you wanted to protect my family. Why are you there?! Why are you helping that monster!?”

He looks towards Tempus, “I am protecting people, Igneous. You are a danger to others.”

Igneous tries to lunge forward, “You said you would protect them!”

The Courier snaps at Igneous, “And you said you fell down the stairs! I am keeping to my word, Igneous, I am making sure you can’t murder anyone else! You have done nothing but lie!”

Igneous growls, “Do you even know what changelings are?! They are parasites! They feed off of emotions until ponies die!”

The Courier looks between the two, “No, I don’t believe that.”

Igenous narrows his eyes, “Really? Ask that foal that died to them. You think she wouldn’t believe it?”

Tempus rips a knife off the tray, “That was an accident! We didn’t know that the foal was so sick!”

The Courier rips out his revolver, and points it at Tempus, “He’s telling the truth, so you best get to explaining.”

Tempus looks over at the Courier, his joy momentarily held, “A foal was lost in the desert, and we gave her shelter and food. Her love was strong, and we don’t get very much food. We didn’t know that she had a magic deficiency. So when we took her emotions, her inner magic, she ended up dead.”

Igneous scoffs, “Oh yes, listen to the criminal about how he’s innocent. That foal was snatched from her home by a group of changeling spies, and they fed off her until she was withered away!”

Tempus looks over at Igneous, “It was an accident!”

Igenous snaps back, “And I’m not going to allow any accident to happen to my daughters!”

Tempus charges towards Igenous, “Shut up!”

Platinum.

Rectify your mistake.

Tempus draws near, getting ready to stab, “Stop!”

He looks back to the Courier, “Why? He’s a criminal.”

The Courier shakes his head, “He... he... just stop.” The Courier steps forward, “You are being consumed by your need for revenge, Tempus! If what he says is true, then he was just trying to protect his family!”

Igenous nods, “Exactly.”

The Courier moves his revolver to Igenous, “You killed someone. You are a murderer, even if your intentions were pure.” He looks at Tempus, “And if you move that knife forward, than you will be no better! Just a murderer! A... a shell of a man driven by his need for revenge.”

Tempus speaks, “But-“

He doesn’t get the chance to speak much before the Courier speaks again, “Cut the head off the Bear, and you have another head left.” The light reflects off his revolver, and a tear drops from his eye, “I wanted revenge... I wanted to protect you. I... I killed millions for you. Oh God- I killed millions. I couldn’t even protect you.” He looks down at his duster, and sees some dried blood on it, “Scarlet... I’m... I’m so sorry. I couldn’t protect us... I killed millions. They were innocent... they didn’t do anything.”

The roof above them shakes, and the sound of screaming comes from the outside.

He looks up, the tears in his eyes evaporate. The rush of memories leave his mind, and he has completely forgotten what he just said.

He throws a knife, cutting Igenous free of his restraints, and he rushes up the stairs.

In the town, a giant Timberwolf howls, “Courier!”

Spirit

He crashes through the door, and the screaming only gets louder. Manticores, timberwolves, spiders, all roam the streets and destroy.

Yet one stands above them all. A giant among Timberwolves, one who howls into the air, “Courier!”

He moves out of the house, and takes a stand behind the beast, “What?”

The Timberwolf turns to face him, and the green light coming from it’s eyes almost blinds him. It growls, “You shall pay for your crimes. Venom-Fang murdered, forest set ablaze, chaos sowed into our roots! My children, murdered without a second thought!”

He gets his hand near his hip, “Who are you?”

The Timberwolf walks closer, “We are the Spirit of the Everfree, and we shall destroy you! Courier, killer of the Bear and Bull, we shall rip out your throat!”

He reaches for his revolver, “You’ll never get the chance!”

Yet, right before his hand reaches the grip, it is stopped.

He tries to force his hand downward, but it just can’t move. He looks down, and sees that his hand is covered in some green aura. He tries to grab a grenade from his pocket, only for it to be stopped by the same aura.

He looks up at the Spirit, noticing it’s eyes glowing brighter, “What is this?”

The Spirit gets right in front of him, “Magic, Courier, the thing you cannot fight!”

He takes advantage of it being so close, and head-buts the Spirit. Yet, even though a dent appears in the wood, the wood just returns right back to normal.

The Spirit growls, raises a claw, and smacks him.

He goes flying, crashing through a building.

He coughs roughly, managing to get a stimpack into his system. He gets on his knee, and tries to stand.

The Spirit raises it’s claw, and the green aura appears around it. The Spirit closes the claw, and the building collapses on top of him.

He is forced down as a ton of building material rests on top of him. He tries to push up, only to discover his broken arms can’t do anything. Even his legs can’t move.

He struggles to breathe as dust fills the air, and a howl comes from outside, “Kill them all!”

His eyes close as oxygen leaves his system.

———

He slams the cell shut and quickly locks it. He looks in, and smiles, “I’ll let you out in the morning, Ralph, you’ve had too much to drink.”

Ralph waves his hand around, “Yeah, yeah.” He then slams himself onto the cot, falling asleep instantly.

He looks to his side as someone else enters the office. He nods, and tips his hat, “Howdy, Noah.”

Noah nods back, “Howdy as well, John.”

John takes his hat off, and places it on a holder, “Should hopefully be a quiet night, especially with Ralph making his visit early.”

Noah laughs, “Yeah, you always get all the excitement.”

John nods, “Yeah, well, it’s better for you to not have that excitement.” He looks back at Noah, “Rachael is on watch tonight, right?”

Noah smiles, “If she ain’t drunk, then yeah.”

John smiles back, “Drunk? You know that woman is temperance in human form. Unlike Ralph over here.”

Noah nods, “Have a good night, John.”

John nods back as he exits the Sheriff’s Office, “You too, Noah.” He peeks his head back in, “Oh, and make sure your Deputy ain’t slacking.”

John then exits, and makes his way to home. The full moon’s light provides ample, even if they didn’t have lanterns going.

The town of Lucky Springs is not a very large one. Maybe only one hundred people in total, so everyone knows everyone else. They didn’t get many visitors, but they now seem like a pretty good hub for travelers. Anyone traveling from California to the east would want to stop here. No town is for another three days walk, so stocking up is what most travelers do. Folks of all kind visit. Gamblers, NCR troopers, even a few Couriers. The town also serves as a safe haven, where one can be without fear of raiders or NCR taxes. Both of those things are plenty in the area.

John eventually reaches his home, and enters. As he does, he is hit with the inviting smell of grilled gecko.

He sits at the table, smiling as another joins the table, “So, Platinum, how was school?”

Platinum smiles, “They taught us how to shoot! I’ll be able to be just like you!”

John laughs, “And you’re going to make those criminals shake in their boots!”

Three plates are placed on the table, and she takes a seat.

Platinum looks to his dad, and John smiles, “Scarlet, would you like to do the blessing?”

She smiles, and they all three bow their head, “Lord above, we ask that you bless this food so that it may nourish our bodies and souls. We ask that you bless this family and this town, and in the Lord’s name we pray, amen.”

They all raise their heads, and begin digging into their meal. John nods, “So, have you two heard the news?”

Platinum looks up, “Oh, what is it?!”

John smiles, “Out in the east, some guy named House is rebuilding Vegas. One of the Courier’s told me, name of Ulysses I believe. Apparently an army of robots came out of nowhere, contacted some of the tribes, and they built an entire city!”

Scarlet smiles, “Maybe that means we’ll be getting more travelers for gambling.”

John nods, “The Courier fellow also told me that the NCR was looking to annex the region because of some dam. So we might well have an army marching through here in a few weeks.”

She looks at his plate, and see’s he is finished, “Why don’t you go to bed, dear, I can do the dishes.”

John gets up, “Sure. Goodnight.”

His sleep was good, enjoying the quiet night. The smell of grilled gecko still fills his air, causing his dreams to be full of good tasting gecko.

The smell changes. The sound changes.

Smoke, gunshots, screaming.

He jumps out of the bed, quickly throwing on his hat and uniform. He straps his revolver to his hip, and rushes outside.

He looks around, and sees men in NCR armor rushing around and dragging others out of their homes.

John quickly aims his revolver, and shoots one of the NCR, injuring but not killing. He fires off a second shot, and barely manages to hit in the head.

Footsteps rush behind him, and he spins around.

Another NCR knocks the revolver out of his hand, and tackles him to the ground.

John tries to fight back, yet the NCR pins him down on the ground, and ties him up by his hands. Then, he stomps down with his boot, and knocks John out.

He fades into consciousness, and quickly takes in everything around him.

Lucky Springs burns. People scream as the ones next to them are executed. Women, children, men, all are killed and left to burn. People he knew, travelers looking for safety.

But he quickly sees someone on a tiny hill.

Platinum raises his dad’s revolver, aims carefully at the NCR, and pulls the trigger.

The shot is dead-on, and the NCR falls over with a hole in the back of his head. The rest all turn around, and quickly gun down Platinum.

John shouts out, “You fuckers! You’re all going to pay for this! I’ll find you!”

They turn to face him. Their brown armor covers them, and a two headed bear stands proudly on front of their armor. They all laugh at the man, moving their revolvers to his side, and shoot Scarlet.

He cries, “You bastards are all going to burn in Hell! You fucking cunts are all going to die!”

The leader of the crew laughs, and nods to his comrades as they kill the last person, “Leave him alive. We’re going to make him suffer.”

They pour gasoline all around, and eventually throw a match on it. The entire town ignites, and they leave the man tied and bound.

The fire grows closer, and the man throws every insult he can against the NCR. But they don’t untie him, they don’t spare another word.

Smoke fills his lungs, and the screams of the children fill his head. His vision fills with black, and he slowly starts passing out.

“No, I don’t believe so.”

The black void in his head burns away with purple fire.

He dives into the nearest fire, throwing his hands into it. The fire burns. The rope eventually burns away, and he can free his hands. They suffer terrible burns, but he can now run away.

Yet as he runs, he sees a symbol left on the ground.

The symbol of a raider gang.

Then, that same symbol appears on a building.

John throws down a last brick of C4, and ducks as the NCR disguised raiders fire at him.

He looks at the detonator, and smiles as he thinks of all the C4 planted all around the building.

He nods, “Dear God almighty, I do hate to do this, but I’m afraid your delivery of life upon me has to be rejected.” He shouts at the raiders, “So prepare for a return to sender!” He presses down the button.

The building explodes in a huge ball of fire, and collapses upon everyone inside.

“Not yet.”

He awakens, yet seems to be missing something.

He thinks as hard as he can, yet he cannot remember anything.

Someone walks up to him, with a letter in hand, “Excuse me, are you a Courier?”

John looks down at himself, the duster he wears, the gloves on his hand.

He looks back at that person, “Yes. I’m... the Courier.”

———

The visions stop, and he finds himself in what looks to be the middle of the desert.

A man stands there, wearing purple robes that seem to blow in the wind. He looks away from him, “Now you remember.” He looks back at him, “John, the Courier. Has a platinum lighter and took a Platinum Chip because of Platinum. Driven be insanely in love with explosives because that’s how you got revenge. Driven to kill millions all because of some misleading armor. Sociopath, villain, hero.”

John tries to speak, yet the Courier can’t.

The godly figure holds out something in his hand. A golden necklace, with a shiny gold badge in the middle, “Makes me wonder if you are worthy of this power.” A book appears out of nowhere, and the figure glances at it. He then rips the badge out of the necklace, and puts it onto an old and battered hat. His old hat. The figure nods, “I’ve helped you twice before, and I help you now. Yet not again. Now it is up to you. If you lose or...” He holds out the hat, and the badge glows with power, “Seek Redemption.”

———

John wakes up, and pushes his way out of the rubble.

The Courier claws his way through the rubble.

They reach the surface.

And they are pissed.

Redemption

He stumbles onto the street, his body summoning the combined strength within it.

John glares at the Spirit, and the Courier steadies his stance, “I’m going to give you one last chance.”

The Spirit wheels around, it’s glowing eyes widening as it sees him standing there, “That was supposed to kill you.”

They don’t move an inch, and speak once more, “One chance. Surrender, and return to your forest!”

The Spirit growls, and charges.

One hand moves to the right pocket as John whispers a final prayer, and another moves to the left as the Courier stares down the danger.

He pulls the pin on the grenade. And raises it into the air.

He pulls the mini nuke out of his pocket, and raises it into the air.

“Not another town.”

“Never another Bear.”

The Holy Hand Grenade counts down, until the mini nuke finally meets it.

The Spirit dives in for a bite, only to be caught by the blast. An explosion powerful enough to topple the Lucky 38.

John closes his eye, ready to meet Scarlet and Platinum again.

The Courier closes the other eye, content with dying in a giant explosion.

They both end up looking at each other in a black void, their mind.

The Courier nods, “So, nice to actually remember my past. Kinda glad I didn’t, else we’d be a lot more dangerous. Probably would’ve dropped some nukes on some raiders as well. Man, you were angry.”

John looks at him, “That’s it? You don’t have any regrets with dying so early?”

The Courier shrugs, “I mean, I killed millions in the NCR. I really shouldn’t have done that. If I were to live longer, then I would try to make it up. But, I can live with only one act of redemption. Or, can’t live, I suppose.”

John motions, “Veronica? Boone? Arcade?”

The Courier cracks his neck, “They are all very strong, and can live without me. Sure, they might be lost for a tiny bit, but they will find themselves. I know they will. They are my betters in every way, and if I could help them, then they can help them.”

John sighs, “And you never really had a home either.”

“The Mojave.”

John looks back at him, “A community with families that you know and help every day.”

The Courier nods, “Yeah, the Mojave. Sure, there may be cliques here and there, but it’s ultimately one big community. Sunny, Trudy, Doc Mitchell, every citizen of Goodsprings. The Khans, the Powder Gangers, the Strip, Boomers, Brotherhood, Enclave, Jacobstown, Utobitha, Novac, the Kings. You may say they aren’t the same, but the truth is that they are. The Kings are the exact same as the Jacksons. Hell, the raiders and Fiends seem more like squabbling children sometimes. You give them something they enjoy, and they help. With Platinum and Toby it was candy and suger for them to do homework. With Moter Runner and the other Fiends it’s Jet and Psycho for peacekeeping duties and following the laws. You supported the Jacksons when they had a spat with the Andersons. And I supported the Powder Gangers when they had a spat with the NCR. The Mojave is my home, John. Same as Lucky Springs is for you. And everything I did, I did it for my community. I did everything for the Mojave.”

John slightly nods, “The nukes?”

The Courier nods back, “An overreaction, yes, but taking out the Long 15 would give us time to build up and find internal peace before the NCR would eventually try and annex us. The extra nukes were an overreaction. But they threatened my people, my family. Every father has overacted in order to protect his children.”

John sighs, “You don’t think it was wrong?”

The Courier thinks for a bit, “Wrong, yes, definitely. The act was evil and atrocious, but the act was only one part of it. Look at it from the outside, John.” The Courier holds out a holotape, “It was the final message from Ulysses that finally made me realize why I did it. Revenge was a small part, a convenient excuse as I sorted out the true reason in my head.”

John stems forward, picking up the holotape, “And what was it?”

The Courier takes a step forward as well, “War never changes. And if war never changes, then men must. War is a tool, it’s always been. Just like a wrench, it never truly changes. Sure, the edges and corners might be padded out a bit, but a wrench is still a wrench, and war is still war. A man who makes an outdated product with a wrench must eventually be out of business. And a nation who forces outdated ideology with war must be defeated. Men must progress, even if they use a wrench, or use war, they must make something that works. A man who uses his wrench to build a MP40 will be beat by the man using it to make a plasma pistol. And a nation who uses war to push democracy will be beat by the man using war to make an egalitarian dictatorship. The NCR held to democracy like a buoy after the Titanic, yet they did not realize that the buoy was sinking, and had already sunk before.”

John nods, “So, you are saying that they refused to change, so it was inevitable?”

The Courier nods back, “Exactly. I am a man making change, I am a man who has changed. If they were to take over then the Great War would only begin again. Democracy failed, monarchy failed, every government of the last failed. They refused to see a simple truth. The only true power exists in the people who are willing to change, and those willing to follow those who change. Democracy said it helped the people, yet it is no secret that racism caused a large portion of the people to be oppressed and pushed down. Monarchs like Ceaser show no care for their people, and even force those who disagree into slavery or death. The NCR pays off politicians and businesses so that only the elite few get what they want and are free to push down the people. Yet the Mojave is different. I listen to the people, I make sure even the poorest man can live in safety and comfort, and I can change. Nearly a century, John, when our great grandfather found Shady Sands. The mutants, who’s leader he killed, they managed to forge many societies and change in so many ways. The NCR has had nothing but stability as our grandfathers protected them, and they did not change. They saw the Enclave when our grandfather destroyed them, and they didn’t change from taking the same exact path.”

John nods, “And?”

The Courier takes a breath and calms down, “The sins of our past, John, they caused the world to be destroyed. Of men unwilling to change, and symbols being ripped apart. What I am doing... it’s to restart. The atrocities committed by scientists hidden away in the Think Tank will not happen again. Those atrocities have left a bad taste on humanity’s tongue, and I plan to get it back to good. And yes, some bad things have to happen in order to reach that point. The bombs dropped, the old world is gone. Humanity needs to learn, and not repeat.” He sighs, “I can’t believe I’m quoting the Sierra Madre, but humanity needs to begin again. I need to begin again, and I need to bring around some change to men.”

John takes a second to breathe. He thinks over all of what the Courier said.

He reaches up, and takes the hat off his head. The badge on it seems to glow a blinding red, until it returns back to normal.

Yet the entire hat seems to glow with a golden aura still.

John tosses it over to the Courier, “You can fight. I ain’t cut out for a world without Platinum or Scarlet, so I’m leaving it to you.” He smiles, “You’ve just gone from Deputy up to Sheriff Courier.”

———

The Courier opens his eyes, and sees the explosion going off right in his face. Yet, a strange golden aura creates a bubble around him, and in a five meter space containing the Spirit.

The Holy Hand Grenade and mini nuke go off, yet the golden aura protects the Courier from all damage. And it seems like the bubble around them is to contain the explosion.

Within a second, it’s over, and the Spirit of the Everfree is nothing but ash in the wind.

The Courier looks at the animals of the Everfree, and some unknown knowledge fills in his head, “I am the Courier, Element of Redemption, and I command you to leave this town and never return!”

The animals all flee, almost scrambling over each other to get out of there.

Then the knowledge leaves the Courier, and his adrenaline cuts off.

He falls to the ground, feeling all the pain of a building collapsing on him.

Two ponies come rushing out of the clocktower. Igneous runs side by side with Time Turner. Time Turner stops in front of the Courier, and smiles, “You were right, I was wrong.”

Igneous smiles as well, “We have... cleared things up.”

The Courier groans, “I don’t fucking care, now get me to a hospital!”

The two get on each side of him, and start to drag him towards the hospital.

Captain Sharp Spear rushes towards him as well, with a griffoness following right behind him. They help Turner and Igneous, speeding up the process immensely.

More and more ponies rush to help the one who just saved them.

The man on his path to redemption.

A man who was broken, on the path to being fixed.

‘Ponyville: Idolized.

You saved them from the Everfree Spiritand her animals. You also rescued the three most influential foals, and managed to sweet talk your way into favor with the three most popular mares. Ponies will help you for almost no cost, and are more open to being your companion.

Canterlot: Mixed.

Your past escape hasn’t left their minds, but with the news from Ponyville, they are content to watch this play out without interfering.

Changeling Hives: Idolized.

Green, Red, Brown, Blue, all have heard tales of the Courier and how he managed to find a murderer and then defeat a powerful Spirit all in the same day. You’ve helped all their agents, and they wish to return the favor.’

A man floats in the air, wearing purple robes that blow in the wind. He watches the Courier, “Wrenches. Very unique.”

He takes out a wrench, yet also teleports away at the same time.

He takes out a set of blueprints, and places them on a dirty table with a wrench on top of it. He nods, “They require a smart man to be used, and they can set many things into motion.” He disappears, yet leaves a message in the Courier’s head, “Be ready, because there are no second chances.”

A man walks into his house, his brain too busy to handle emotions.

The Courier, killed in a nuclear blast? The same Courier who punches people with miniature versions of the same thing? The same Courier who managed to take an entire Ranger squad’s ammo supply to the chest? Preposterous. Julia and Yes Man might believe it, but they haven’t seen what he can do.

Arcade Gannon looks to his workbench, only to see a set of blueprints with a wrench on top of it.

He looks over the blueprints. A teleporter. Where one can put in a strand of D.N.A and trace them anywhere across the universe.

Arcade looks over to another table, where the Courier’s old duster sits. Full of skin cells, blood, and lost hair.

He looks back to the blueprints.

He picks up the wrench, and smiles.