Author's Note

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CHAPTER'S TITLE!
-It's just a reference to Fallout: Equestria's original chapter; I'll understand if someone does get mad but, at least, let's have some respect and tolerance.

P.S: I'm not stealing the chapter's title, it's just a REFERENCE.

Now, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 1: The Equestrian Wasteland.

A devastated wasteland...

That's what my eyes gazed at in that evening, while I continued my journey towards an old, deteriorated and destroyed barn from before the war; my sight traveled from one place to another as my footsteps made themselves heard as there was no noise in the place. All my concentration was focused on knowing if someone or something was threatening me from somewhere.

Fortunately, nothing happened in a fairly long period of time, which began to feel restless; suddenly, I heard fluttering buzzes, these were too familiar to me. I turned to look at where the noise came from, it was a Radroach flying slowly towards somewhere; in an instant, I grabbed my Winchester rifle and smashed that hideous bug's disgusting head with a clean shot.

The Radroach fell on the ground instantly upon being shot and then laid on the ground... motionless and lacking any trace of life. After what happened, I reloaded my gun and decided to take it in hand, in case something happened and that I had to defend myself against any type of threat.

I kept walking towards the barn for a few more seconds; however, upon arrival, I began to hear metallic noises and a loud alarm coming from below. I was confused for a few moments until I remembered the underground entrance to Stable 2 covered under wooden doors, which were near the barn; so I ran quickly to the wooden doors, when I arrived, readied my Winchester rifle and aimed my gun directly at them.

At this exact moment, I heard the sound of a metallic object, like a door, closing, so I deduced that someone was already coming towards me; at that instant, several footsteps were heard as a female voice began to be heard, I heard both noises coming from below, so I kept pointing my Winchester in the direction of the wooden doors.

Slowly, I heard footsteps on metal stairs becoming more and more present as they approached the place where I was. Finally, the wooden doors opened with a green magical aura, revealing a unicorn with gray fur and ginger-colored mane, who was terrified when she saw the wasteland; It was surely her first time outside Stable 2, so I took advantage of the occasion and put the barrel of my rifle at the nape of her neck, causing her to be scared...

"P-Please don't hurt me!"

I stood silent after hearing her speak aloud, she was nervous and scared, so I took the opportunity to make her shudder with fear when I put more pressure and weight on the weapon, causing it to be pushed with even more force to the nape of her neck. Consequently, the unicorn began to babble nervously while I only looked at her from behind with the weapon still on her neck; in the end, she begged...

“Forgive me if I did something wrong to you, but… please don't kill me. I escaped from my Stable to find a friend of mine who also escaped from it. I didn't come to hurt you. ”

I didn't say anything for a few seconds, I was processing the information that the unicorn had given me; it was then that, in the end, I decided to lower my rifle and let her explain her matter...

"Okay, you got 30 seconds to tell me why you are here, alone. Now, if you could be so gentle, turn around."

The unicorn swallowed, as she turned around so that she could be able to look me in the face; in doing so, she was surprised by the fact that I was...

"A Human?!... But, I thought they were extinct. The Overmare told us that- ”

"I suggest you not believe anything about what the Overmare says... In the Stables, they only tell lies, this is how they always end up becoming the Tartarus themselves."

The unicorn looked at me in surprise for a few seconds until she remembered the fact I was waiting to get answers...

"Well... My name is LittlePip, I am-... I was an inhabitant of WestPony-Tec Stable 2 until... m-my friend, the singer and celebrity of Stable 2, Velvet Remedy, ran away from the Stable; I don't understand why she did it and that is why I have decided to go out… I have a mission and that one is to look for Velvet, no matter the cost.”

I was somewhat surprised by this, but it still didn't seem like the most surprising thing in the post-apocalyptic world of Equestria; although, deep down, I knew I must help her. I've helped all possible living beings, why not do it one more time?

I looked at her one more time to verify that she was ready for anything, then I told her...

"Very well, LittlePip, I will help you find your friend. This may not concern me, but I have a dictum: Never leave those who need you, help them if it's possible. ”

LittlePip smiled at this, then she opened one of her bags and took out an apple from them; she gave me one of them and I, being the generous and respectful person that I have been, I accepted it without complaint and I ate it.

While this was going on, LittlePip began checking boxes and drawers inside the barn, although she stopped halfway when she noticed the presence of a terminal, so LittlePip lowered her bags with her magic and began to hack the terminal until she managed to enter it and its data. What happened next was melancholic and sad...

"(Static) ...Hello? Is this thing recording? *Sigh* ...Well, first of all, I would like to thank my family for... for giving me a great life, one that no pony or any other living being has ever experienced... *Sniff* ...seriously, thank you very much for having fathered me, mom and dad... Always... *Sniff* ...I will always love you two. Now, the doors of Stable 2 are about to close, so... if anypony, in the not too distant future, finds this recording... *Sniff* ...please do take this recording to my parents... Bright Mac and Pear Butter. When you could find a tree of pears and apples together, that is where they will meet. --End of Recording--"

I looked at the terminal with surprise, the voice of the recording was Applejack, the same pony in charge of the Ministry of Wartime Technology, the same ministry from which the Steel Rangers came; her voice always had a characteristic northern ranch accent, making it easy to differentiate from other voices heard in Equestria and its ruins.

LittlePip stood still, she did not move a single muscle to breathe, suddenly she turned to see me; LittlePip looked distressed, her gaze was sad and astonishment, then she walked over to me and hugged me. I did not expect that action from LittlePip, so I was forced to respond...

"...You didn't like what you heard, did you?"

"*Sniff* ...Yes, I can't believe that even before I was born there was already evil in Equestria."

By hearing those words, I froze as I remembered everything that happened to me before I got to this point; it was then that I corresponded LittlePip's hug with another, which took her by surprise but didn't displease her at all...

"The world of Equestria is cruel, it always has been, but not as cruel as it is now."

After what happened, LittlePip kept looking for the data of her friend Velvet Remedy, while I was in charge of watching the outside; for a few moments, I was sitting under the frame of the barn door, while I constantly looked everywhere to check that everything was fine.

It wasn't until I saw a couple of Radroaches approaching me that I grabbed my Ironshod “SAA” (Peacemaker) revolver and aimed the gun at the first one; after a few moments waiting, I fired my revolver 3 times. Two shots were aimed at the first Radroach, while the third shot was at the second Radroach. All of them right on their heads.

The next moment I fired, LittlePip came out of the barn to see what was going on, immediately went pale as she saw the bodies of the Radroaches with their heads mutilated; she began to make various expressions of disgust.

Seeing this, I smiled a little, although I stopped doing it almost the next instant since she really seemed to want to vomit; so, I went with her to try to calm her down a bit and keep her away from vomiting. When I reached her, she couldn't take it anymore and vomit.

To avoid problems with them, I turned any other way; I looked away while LittlePip kept pulling out what was left in his stomach, at the same time, I saw the terminal from which LittlePip was trying to extract information from it.

To avoid problems with her, I turned the other way; I looked away while LittlePip kept pulling out what was left inside her stomach, at the same time, I saw the terminal from which LittlePip was trying to extract information from it. Seeing it, I decided to help LittlePip a bit and look for the information instead.

After a short period of time, I found more recordings and several documents in it, of which there were 3 that interested me: one called "I'm Sorry", another document with the title "Apple Family - History and Members" and the last one "I Won't Come Back", which was a recording. This recording made me think that it could be Velvet's, so I reproduced it...

To any pony who has left Stable 2 in search of me:

Please, go home. I am doing what I have to do. The Overmare understands, even if she can never agree, and I hope one day you will too. I will not be back. Do not look for me. Do not endanger yourself further for my sake. Please forgive me.

Velvet Remedy.

"So... She won't be back?"

I turned to look at LittlePip, who was standing next to me as she tried to replay the audio repeatedly; unfortunately, it seemed that the audio had been corrupted, so it stopped working. LittlePip hit the ground hard as she looked down, her face seemed frustrated. I knew what she was feeling.

I looked at her for a few seconds, contemplating and understanding the situation she was into; she abandoned her own home in search of her friend, she abandoned everything because of her impetus of searching her and this is how life rewarded her, letting her know that her "friend" did not want to be bothered by anyone from Stable 2...

"So it seems, LittlePip... you know what? It doesn't matter, this can't stop you from finally being able to do something in your life.”

LittlePip looked at me bewildered and clearly confused for what I said, her lack of understanding showed, so I clarified...

"What were you usually doing in Stable 2?"

LittlePip looked at me even more confused than before, so she asked me...

"What do you mean with that?"

"I mean, what kind of things were you doing in Stable 2? What was your daily routine?”

LittlePip thought for a few seconds while formulating her answer, she looked at me again and answered...

"Well, I- Uhh... I don't know, it used to be pretty boring; usually, I would repair the PipBucks of Stable 2 inhabitants. Every day, at all times, the atmosphere wasn't interactive at all; I have hardly ever had long conversations with any of the inhabitants of the Stable... On rare occasions, some pony would speak to me for over a minute or two..."

Honestly, I never thought of that kind of response coming from her; it was obvious that she suffered a lot, although, in part, it wasn't reflected in her being. So, I approached her and gave a hug of consolation and forgiveness for having made her understand her probable raw life; after the hug, I continued talking...

“Then, my dear LittlePip, I invite you to join me on this adventure, which I call life. I know this is not the most pleasant of life, but it is the best you can find in these places. And I am telling you with all sincerity.”

She looked at me and then looked at the terminal, she was surely in a dilemma of whether to accompany me or continue looking for her friend Velvet through the entire Equestrian Wasteland; when I realized this, I smiled and said to LittlePip...

“I'll tell you what, I promise you that if we find Velvet on our way, I will invite her to join us; indeed, I would be returning you a favor and, by being more people together, we'll be able to work better as a team. So, what do you say? Do you want to join me?”

LittlePip, instead of giving me her hoof as a sign of agreement, jogged towards the terminal and began downloading various files, documents, and recordings on her PipBuck; after this, she returned to where I was and, at that moment, extended her hoof to me, so I reciprocated the gesture by extending my hand and doing a handshake/hoof shake with her…

"I agree to accompany you on your adventure-"

"It is not an adventure, nor is it only mine... It is our great journey, from now on."

LittlePip genuinely smiled upon hearing this, but immediately her smile faded and was replaced by an expression of confusion, so she asked me...

"What exactly is this journey of ours about?"

Hearing that question, I looked at LittlePip serenely for a few seconds; it was then I made the decision to answer her...

"I'm going to summarize it for you... *Ahem* ...I've always hoped to be a good person who's able to ensure after innocents' sake, defenseless inhabitants' lives and good people/ponies who fight for what it is correct, in addition to being dreaming of helping others who need help to avoid or get out of trouble... And this vast wasteland can be cruel and unpleasant for so many, but... it does give me the opportunity of being a better person, I have the chance to help others and save them from slavers and raiders, and to be someone in this world. Shortly, being a righteous man."

After my speech, I ended by contemplating the vast and desert wasteland, which has been given the name "Equestrian Wasteland"; LittlePip looked in the same direction I was looking at, then sat under the barn's door frame and concluded with a short monologue...

"...A righteous man who ensures over others' sake, rather than itself."

"Exactly, that's what our journey is about, now... What you think?"

LittlePip looked at the devastated Equestrian moorland for a few moments, then turned to look at me and said...

"I love it. We'll have a great journey, together."

LittlePip and I prepared to begin our journey of saving the innocent and defenseless from the cruelties that slavers and raiders would provoke; While we were preparing ourselves, LittlePip asked me…

“Now that we are journey companions. Where are we going, exactly?”

When LittlePip asked me that, I was checking over LittlePip bags while I put some supplies in them; so it took me a while to respond as I continued to fill her bags with some food, a couple of bottles of purified water and 2 first aid kits...

“Our destination is the city of Manehattan, I intended to go there to obtain information about possible slavers and raiders; although, along the way, we will be forced to pass through the ruins of Ponyville and resupply in New Appleloosa. Probably, we'll have to divert towards Junction R-7 to trade supplies, weapons, and ammo with some friends of mine who are there.”

LittlePip was shocked to hear those many places and the long journey we had to travel to reach Manehattan. Fortunately, she recomposed herself and asked again...

"Do we have to pass all that way?"

When I heard her question, I laughed ironically and replied...

“And I have not yet told you all the places we will have to enter to search for supplies. Among them, we'll need to enter Ironshod Firearms to get you a weapon that can be adaptable to you. Without forgetting the fact that, after our arrival in the city of Manehattan, we'll have to reach Baltimare, which is located between Manehattan and Fillydelphia. For now, don't ask about the reason for our subsequent trip because it is very important to me.”

"But, if you haven't come from New Appleloosa or Manehattan, where do you come from?"

I remained in silence for a few moments, her question surprised me, although I must admit that it was somewhat obvious that LittlePip would ask me that question sooner or later; so, being an honest person, I replied…

“I came from a nearly 6-month journey through Vanhoover and New Pegasus. If you're wondering why, well... Let's say I was hired by a rich old pony to help protect several guard posts that were on the road connecting Ponyville (and its ruins) with both cities of New Pegasus and Vanhoover.”

LittlePip looked at me confused, surely she was lost on the talking, so she asked...

"Did they hire you? Don't you protect and save defenseless living beings because that's the right thing to do?"

“Of course, but sometimes I have to do some... jobs to get information about slavers and raiders; what I do is not that easy either.”

LittlePip nodded, making me understand that she comprehended what I said; so, I proceeded to close their bags and gave them to her. Then, I grabbed my Winchester rifle and held it in my right hand; meanwhile, LittlePip levitated her bags with her magic and put them on her loin and proceeded to approach where I was. She looked at me for a few seconds, then looked at the Equestrian wasteland again and asked me...

"Thanks for everything... What's your name?"

I smiled upon hearing her question, then I looked at her for a few moments and answered...

"You may call me Marcus."

TO BE CONTINUED...