Delivery!

I stare at the brown hat in my hands.

”Be just like Ralphy traveling so far!”

I let my eyes gaze over the holes and patches in the old, battered stetson.

”Dinner on the table, and the our child has stories to tell.”

I sigh as I stare at the name engraved upon the golden badge, my home.

“Don’t look sad, I can talk with you tomorrow before work.”

I reach over to my revolver on the table.

“NCR ATTACKING!”

I take the gun out of it’s leather holster.

”We gonna make you suffer!”

I cock the gun’s hammer back, and raise it.

“NO! PLEASE! TAKE ME INSTEAD!”

I stare down the familiar barrel of the gun.

“SCARLET!”

“Cousin, you alright in there?”

“NOOOOOOO! RUN! PLATNUM, RUN!”

“Courier?”

“YOU FUCKING MOSTERS WILL PAY!”

The bullet in the chamber looks awfully good right now.

I failed them.. I failed...

It just takes one twitch, and you can join them in heaven. You can be with them again.

“Courier!?”

You know that’s not how it works, Courier. God does not smile upon those who take their own lives. You must live your life, punished with the memories.

I put the revolver back into its holster, as Wanderer breaks in. He sighs happily when he sees me sitting there, “Did you not here me there?”

I look over at him, “Sorry, I was deep in thought.”

He smiles, “Well, time to put your mind on different matters. Show’s starting soon and you haven’t even got your guitar out!”

I smile on back, and start to get my guitar out from its case, “You ain’t got your saxophone.”

He turns a strap around showing he does, in fact, have his saxophone, “Pinkie’s for her drums, Discord’s got his trumpet, Free’s got her mic, your mic is also out there. We’re just waiting for you.”

I strap the guitar around my body, and affix my hat to my head. I nod, “Well, I’m ready.”

Wanderer nods, and starts to walk to the stage. I turn around to look at the mirror once again, seeing new stubble gracing my chin. I smile, and walk after Lone to the stage.

We take our places on the stage. Pinkie smiles brightly as she holds her drum sticks tightly in her hooves. Discord smiles eagerly past an Afro on his head, with his trumpet ready to go. Wanderer smiles, always loving to play our songs. Free smiles as she sits in front of a mic in front of her, the most obvious place for a decapitated head. I confidently smile at the other members of the band, readying my fingers on the guitar, and preparing to sing.

“Welcome one and all to the main show! Please put your hooves together, for here in Canterlot are the one, the only, the Explosive Rockers!”

The curtains open and the lights turn on to shine upon us as the crowd, made of many different species, applauds.

We all immediately start as soon as the lights turn on. Pinkie starts off with a fast drum beat, Discord and Lone both start playing very fast notes. A fast beat is the result, backed up by the strings of a guitar. The fast and upbeat swing intro instantly lets the ponies know what song we’re playing.

———

I fire a fast laser beam at the Veteran Ranger that fired at me. I instantly whip out a grenade to toss down another hallway, and draw my revolver from it’s holster. I walk around the corner, and fire at two Troopers standing guard. With my two well placed shots, their heads explode.

I casually walk through the hall, changing my revolver out for my shotgun. I load in explosive shells, and advance towards my target. A Heavy Trooper comes crashing after me, intent on putting me down with his flamer. I nonchalantly turn my shotgun to face him, and pull the trigger when he gets closer. The explosive rounds not only destroy the power armor the soldier wore, but the man underneath as well.

“You bastard!” A Ranger fires at me from down a hallway. His round strikes the gold on my hat, and is reflected away. I turn the shotgun to him with one hand, and fire two shots down the hallway, demolishing everything unlucky enough to be in the way.

I get to the door I’m searching for, and raise my boot. I kick down the nice wooden door, and walk in. My target sits at his desk, and I stare at him in contempt, “General Oliver.”

The General meets me with similar contempt, “So, you finally came after me. After House and Vulpes, I knew it was only a matter of time. You’ve carved a path through my best men and women, and you are here. But what’s behind you? All I can see is a pile of bodies, all of whom curse your name, Courier.”

———

I hop up on my guitars speed as we enter our chorus.

”So step to the right, step to the left!
Step before you get charged with copyright theft!
So get up and dance, dance away all your pains!
No need to pull in the reins!”

———

I pump my shotgun, “What have I left behind? I have left behind a better world. All that lies behind me are the bodies of the rich or powerful, and those who got in my way. Mister House sat in an ivory tower surrounded by those too privileged to ever know the feeling of poverty. New Vegas now has been cleaned by my hands, to be taken by the people of Freeside. Ceaser and Vulpes were to die because his Legion took slaves. Now, it’s time for the most imperialist of all. The New California Republic, a group of corrupt politicians forcing their ideology on the Mojave. There is only one leader of the Mojave, General, that is the people, and me as their champion. I need to secure my position, and that means you have to die. Just another authoritarian to the grave, nothing to cry over.”

He doesn’t even flinch to my speech, an impressive show, “And what about your friends? Is there anyone that would want to work with you?”

I grimace, “Majority thought what I am doing was wrong. Boone, Gannon, Raul, Cass, Veronica. Hell, even the God and Dog thought I was evil. Lily wouldn’t give up her privileged position in society, so she had to die. Dean Domino is a millionaire who was lucky enough to live past the apocalypse. All now lay dead. Only Ed-E now helps me.” Said eye-bot beeping behind me, “But that’s off topic, I’m here to cripple the NCR.”

Oliver nods, “Haven’t you already done that, though? I mean, you did nuke the Long 15, thus cutting us off from even reaching the Mojave without taking a very long time. You’ve already killed thousands with those few nukes, not to count the thousands of soldiers you killed.”

I simply raise my shotgun to his head, “Prepare to die, Oliver. Say your final words.”

Oliver calmly smiles as he stares down the barrel of my shotgun, “Override code 2236.”

Ed-E starts to make strange noises from behind me, and I look to see him opening himself. I turn to Oliver, “What the hell is this?”

Oliver smiles, “You will not be killing anyone else on this world. Ed-E has an internal teleporter, which he will now use to teleport you in the middle of space. The chances of you surviving are less that one percent. And you will not kill anyone else in the Mojave.”

I sneer, “I can kill you still.”

He leans back in his chair, and faces down my shotgun with utter calm, “Go ahead. I’ll die happy knowing I saved many lives.”

I pull the trigger, “You bastard!”

His head is blown off, and it’s the last thing I see before I’m teleported away.

———

We all finish off the song with one last strong note, and take a bow before the audience. Their applause is almost as loud as the music we played, showing how much they loved it.

I smile as I face the crowd, reminding myself that this is why I don’t pull the trigger.

———

I come down hard on what seems to be a mountain. I roll in the snow for a little bit, before picking myself up from it. I look over the frozen mountains, with a cold that cuts right through my light duster. No civilization can be seen, but there is smoke in the distance. I holster my shotgun, and start to trudge to the smoke.

—(???)—

I walk over to Scarlet, who holds a crying Platinum close to her. I sigh as I stop near them, “I take it that he ain’t here?”

Scarlet shakes her head, holding Platinum even closer, “He just isn’t here.”

I lean down and take a knee in front of them, “Hey, Platinum.”

The crying kid manages to look in my direction, his eyes red from his tears.

I smile my best calming smile at him, “Your father was a hero, and we will not forget him. He might not’ve gotten revived as we seemingly have, but he will live with us in spirit. I’m sorry, Platinum, but that’s how the Wasteland works. Your father was a good man, and I’m sure he is smiling down upon us from his spot in Heaven. He might not come back... but he is a true hero, and we will remember him forever. But we’ve just got to accept that he ain’t coming back.”

Platinum stops his sobs after I’ve finished.

I stand back up, and point to a mountain in the distance. A single mountain, covered in green, “We’ve got to look at the horizon, for it seems we have an entirely new one to explore.”