Chapters I have never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed, but sometimes, even I know I'm stupid. Like for instance the situation I currently find myself in. To my left is a contingent of Brotherhood of Steel. To my right is a group of Gunners and directly in front of me is some Institute remnants and all three have one goal...my head on a silver platter.
"How the hell do I get myself into these situations" I muttered out loud. It has been three years since I took out the leadership and a majority of the three groups and I guess they have joined together to get revenge on me. The old enemy of my enemy is my friend deal I guess. Oh well, my armour is going to take a pounding on this one.
"Whelp, who goes first" I asked pulling out my combat shotgun with the explosive effect.
Two hours, five hundred shells, twenty stimpacks and four fusion cores later, I finally trudged back to my main base of operations which was a old Red Rocket truck stop. Of course, my armour was shredded all to hell and to add salt to the wound, Dogmeat was sitting with a look on his muzzle that said 'I'm glad I stayed at home.' This is the one time that the mutt was smarter than me.
"Go bother Des. She probably could use the help tracking some synths." With a bark he took off. I wasn't pulling as many Railroad missions as I used to, but it was discovered that Dogmeat could track the gen three synths that was still loyal to the Institute. Climbing out of my armour, I stored my gear and crashed, hard onto my bed. I need a vacation I thought to myselfbefore sleep took me, but right before I slipped away, I noticed a blue glow surrounding me.
I've had lucid dreams before, maybe once or twice, but what I was experiencing at that moment...was strange. I wasn't dreaming, it was more memories than anything. My memories of the combat I've seen over my lifetime and the strangest thing was, something was watching. It looked like a blue pony I would say. I mean, it was horse shaped, but it wasn't as big as one and I've never seen a horse with wings and a horn. Plus, it's mane and tail looked like the night sky and was moving on their own. It took a moment for my brain to kick in, but I realized what it was.
"A alicorn?" I must have said it aloud because it's left ear turned my way before said alicorn turned it's head my way and smiled.
"Greetings, my name is Princess Luna. I have come to your world to ask you for your help to save mine."
I stood there in dumbfounded silence as I tried to process what I just heard. For one, the alicorn could speak and two, it was female by its voice.
"Okay, either I was more exhausted from that fight than I thought or someone slipped me some chems." Smiling lightly, the alicorn spoke again.
"I shall assure you that I am very real." Turning back to my memories, she watched for a few minutes before speaking again.
"You seem to have a talent for winning battles against impossible odds" she stated as the Battle of Anchorage ayed out in front of her.
"Lucky I guess" I answered as I walked up and stood next to her. "Why do you need my help? What makes me so special?" Smiling again, she looked at me with a knowing expression on her muzzle.
"You fight for others and have never asked for anything in return. When you was searching for your son, you was not doing it for your selfish reasons. You did it to protect him from the world you found yourselves in. When you fought for your country, you did it to protect others as all true warriors do. Not for personal gain, but out of a true want to keep the horrors of war from those that could not protect themselves." I couldn't believe that this mystical creature had me pegged so well by just watching so little of my past. After all of that, she defiantly had my attention.
"Alright, you have my attention. What is it that I could possibly help you with your Highness?"
"Please" she started while blushing. "Just call me Luna." She shuffled her hooves a few times before sighing and began to speak again.
"My kingdom was a peaceful land ruled by myself and my older sister. I, as you know am Princess Luna, Princess of the Night and Goddess of the Moon. My sister Celestia was Princess of the Day and Goddess of the Sun or she was until she was killed trying to protect our subjects from harm." She had trailed off on the last part and i could plainly see the pain she was in. Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arms around her neck to try and comfort her. After five minutes or so she rubbed her eyes with a foreleg and whispered a "thank you" before she continued.
"Anyway, my kingdom was invaded by a race native to the far west called the Caribou. Their sole purpose is to subjugate the female population and turn them into sex slaves. As of now, they control three-quarters of Equestria and the rest will fall before too long." That made no sense to me. I could understand if a invasion was done for resources or political reasons, but slaves?
"Why? That's not a real reason to invade a country?"
"It was for Dannin and his ilk. Equestrias population is eighty-five percent female and since the reverse is true for caribou, they wanted the mares of Equestria for sex slaves and breeding." I won't lie, I started to see red right then. That was all kinds if wrong in my view and I wasn't going to let it continue.
"Where are you right now?" She blushed again and hoofed the ground before answering.
"I am currently on the roof of your home."
"Did you do something to bring us to wherever we are?" She nodded in answer still looking at the ground. I was bound and determined to help her and her home. No one should go through that kind of hell. "Good. Wake me up, I need to prepare for war." She looked up sharply with a hopeful expression crossing her features.
"Does this mean..."
"That I'll help you?" She nodded in answer. "Then yes I will and those fuckers will know what hell on Earth will be."
Waking up I walked outside into the predawn light and looked towards the roof.
"You can come down Luna. There's no need to stay up there." A moment later I watched the Princess step to the edge and spread her wings. Beautiful I thought to myself as she landed gracefully in front of me. Folding her wings up, she smiled and bowed her head.
"Thank you for agreeing to help me and my little ponies. We would be lost without some type of outside aid."
"It's not a problem Princess. I cannot sit around with a clear conscience knowing that innocents are being killed or enslaved. Even though that happens here, it's not the problem it used to be with groups like the Minutemen around."
"Still, it is a rare quality that you possess. The want to help others at your own expense and for that as I said before anything you ask for as a reward, if it is in my power to grant shall be yours."
I nodded then stood there gazing at her. I said beautiful in my mind a moment ago, but I don't honestly think that does her justice. Despite being equine and thus not human, I didn't see her as just a animal. If she was human I would dare say she would be one of if not the most beautiful women I had ever seen, but still she was beautiful in her own right. Nodding I turned and looked out upon the desolate landscape that surrounded us.
"Would I be able to return once I'm done if I survive?" I watched a quick flash of sadness cross her features before she answered.
"Yes. I would never ask this of somepony without the ability to return them to their home. But I do not..."
"That's good to know" I interrupted her. "Because that's what I want. Live or die, i never want to see this place again. I have nothing to hold me here." She looked shocked and....happy?
"As a you wish." Pausing for a moment she asked about my dog.
"He'll be alright. Desdimona and the others will care for him. Now, how long do I have to prepare?"
"Three days is all I can give you to gather what you need" I got for a answer.
"I won't need that long. I have everything right here. I just need a day to repair my armor." Looking back to her, I motioned to follow me. "I don't really have a lot to entertain a guest, but your welcome to it."
Luna stayed at my side while I repaired the X0-1 and asked my about what I would carry with me. After a few hours and some banter about what to expect I decided to take a short break. When I was getting something to drink I thought about something.
"Luna? Is there a way you could show me what the situation is on a map?" She thought for a moment before nodding and began to dig around in her saddlebags. A minute or two later she found what she was digging for and played a rolled up piece of paper on the table next to us. Unrolling it showed that it was a map of Equestria I presumed.
"The only parts of Equestria that the Caribou haven't conquered yet is here" she said showing me on the map which is colored blue to show what they still have while the rest was in red. I whistled looking at it.
"I assume this is the battle lines" I asked drawing a line from a city names Can Hoover just east of another called Canterlot and south just east again of a small city called Dodge City.
"That is correct. They control everything from the Crystal Empire. It was the first to fall." Damn I thought. They had their backs to the wall almost. "If Canterlot falls, all is lost" she said in a saddened tone.
"Troop numbers?"
"Caribou forces number around one hundred and twenty-five thousand plus, about thirty thousand ponies that they corrupted with the help of their foul magic." I cocked a eyebrow at that.
"How did they do that?"
"Dannin, the Caribou King, somehow corrupted and twisted the Crystal Heart to do his bidding. It brings out the lust in a pony and makes them subservient to the Caribou. For mares, it makes them want to breed all the time. For stallions, it brings out the worst in them. The want to rape and breed any female they can find." The more I heard about these Caribou the more I wanted to introduce them to my hammer.
"What is your troop strength?"
"Barely thirty thousand. Before the invasion, the Equestrian Army only numbered sixty-five thousand. So, half of my army is under Caribou control." Motherfucker, this is almost a no win situation was what came to mine.
"Your battle lines are stretched so thin that they are almost nonexistent."
"They are" she said folding her ears flat to her head. "Any break out along the line would be catastrophic."
"Why hasn't that happened yet.?"
"Because of Cloudsdale. The pegasi took it upon themselves to try and by the rest of Equestria as much time as they could before they fall. Nearly all of the pegasi and half of the thestrals left in the army are using it as a moble base to strike from."
"Got to admire them for that" I said in admiration while Luna nodded. "How long can they do that."
"The last communication we received from them was about two weeks and that was ten days ago." I grunted in acknowledgment still looking at the map thinking. I had a idea or two, but they would need time and I needed away to buy more of it. I needed to know the Caribou battle tactics.
"What is the Caribou order of battle? When and how do they determine where to strike?"
"Wherever there is a large consitration of ponies, they arrive and attack with the intent of subduing them until the Crystal Heart can be brought to corrupt those captured."
"How many would entice them to attack?"
"Any number over five thousand? Why do you ask?"
"Because you need more time to study something I'm bringing with me to help and I need to thin the herd some so to speak" I said smiling.
I had finished repairs on my armor and was gathering what supplies I was taking with me when a question popped into my head.
"Luna, I just thought of something. You said that they can corrupt ponies with the Crystal Heart correct?"
"Yes" she answered slightly confused.
"Is there any way to...save them from that? To purify them if you will."
"Sadly there is not a way we have found to remove the corruption" she said, sadness showing in her eyes. "Once corrupted, there is no hope for them."
"So they can't be saved then?" When she nodded her head in agreement, I shook mine. "What are my ROE?" That got me a confused look from her.
"My rules of engagement. They are rules specifying what I can and cannot do in battle against the enemy and other situations. I need to know so that I can plan a offensive. I could apply the ones I know, but if you have something specific that you would like to add, please do."
"The only one I would add is that any pony not corrupted that you find is to be protected and brought to safety."
"As you wish Princess" I said bowing to her.
"Please. That is not necessary. You are helping us by you own free will and I would never ask that of you."
"Of course, Luna." Turning from her I walked outside to my waiting armor and activated it allowing me to climb inside then closed it. After the boot up process was done, I turned back to her and watched awe cross her features. I guess that'll happen when someone sees a half a ton of functional power armor for the first time. Turning to the side, I made my way to the trailer that I had built and packed for the trip. It held everything I thought I might need from ammo to repair parts for my weapons and armor. It also held something that should never be allowed in their world, but I felt was necessary. One Mk. Eighty-two nuclear gravity bomb. Yield: Thirty megatons. My the gods have mercy on me for bringing it.
Grabbing the tongue of the trailer, I looked to Luna and nodded.
"I'm ready. Let's go save your ponies."
Canterlot Castle 9:42 A.M. Throne Room
Standing next to the Throne of Equestria was two of the Guards best. One was Sergeant Gilded Shield and the other was Lieutenant Shadow Leaf. Both were from Equestria's elite Storm Battalion. The best of the best. One was a unicorn who was considered to have the strongest shield spells in Equestria since Shining Armour was no longer available and the other was considered to be one of the best Thestral warriors ever produced. Most would have thought that the elite unit would be on the front lines, but their orders was to defend something or it should be said someponies far more important. The Princesses of Equestria.
Sergeant Shield was almost to the point of losing his mind. It was one thing to guard one of the princesses, but to have to listen to a bunch of whiny nobles too? It was almost too bucking much. I'd rather be on the front lines right now the combat veteran thought. Just about the time he was considering taking his spear and running it through the current whiner, Princess Twilight perked up and ordered the throne room to be cleared. With practiced efficiency the guards cleared all of the complaining nobles out and locked the doors.
Just about the time he was going to ask what was going on a portal started forming in the center of the room. Looking towards the princess, he didn't see any concern so it was something she expected. As soon as the portal was formed Princess Luna came galloping through with a giant cart carried behind her in a levitation spell. The second she moved to the side a giant metal thing was thrown through impacting the wall and leaving a giant hole to show it's passage.
"FORM RANKS! PREPARE TO REPEL AN INVADER!" Hearing Princess Luna shout the order and at first he believed that it was the thing that left the hole, but a creatures roar behind him clued him in on what they was to stop. What he witnessed would haunt him for the rest of his days. It had to be twenty hooves tall and looked like a deformed dragon. With another roar it started to attack the guards in front of it and in one swipe of its claws killed at least five.
"How do we kill this thing" he heard Lieutenant Shadow Leaf ask the Princess.
"I don't know, but it's called a Dearhclaw and it's one of the most dangerous creatures from that world."
"Well who does kn...." Before the Lieutenant could finish his question, Gilded heard the rubble move and the metal thing stood up. It's focus was on the creature and watched as it pulled the largest hammer he had ever seen out of nowhere. What it did next was also surprising.
"LUNA! GET YOUR GUARDS BACK. I'VE GOT THIS BASTARD!"
Wanderer's PvP
When I finally got my armor to boot back up and standing, I was sickened at the sight before me. The deathclaw that tossed my like a damn football had followed me through the portal and I could see at least five dead ponies lying at its feet. That pissed me off. Pulling out my super sledge, I activated the external speakers and did what I do best. Give orders.
"LUNA! GET YOUR GUARDS BACK. I'VE GOT THIS BASTARD!" When they moved I charged like I normally do when I face a deathclaw. Swinging when I was in range and watched as the bastards head exploded. Dropping my hammer, I walked around the twitching corpse and grabbing it's tail, tossed it back through the portal with some colorful parting words.
"You've tried to kill me for three fucking years now and you FUCKED UP ON YOUR LAST SHOT! May I never see the Commonwealth again." I took one last look before turning to Luna and nodding. She closed her eyes and I watched as she cast the spell to close the portal. When it closed and winked out, I hit the eject button to open my armor and climbed down. Taking a step or two away I fell to a knee. Adrenaline is a good thing in a fight, but a total bitch afterwards.
"Winter? Are you okay?" Looking into Luna's blue eyes, I could see her concern for me radiating from them.
"I'm okay, Luna. It's just the aftermath of that trip and the short fight." Standing up, I looked around before turning back and asking her where we were.
"We are currently in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. Welcome to Equestria" she said smirking.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. X0-1 Power Armor Mk. VI
Primary Weapons
Apparel
Stimpacks: 500
Strength: 13
Perks
