Fallout Equestria: The Repair Ponies

Chapter One: Gatherings

“Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.”

― Walt Whitman

*****

White Cloud, Manesville DIstrict NCR: Ginger Snaps.

I am lying next to my zony colt friend Xochitl, spotting for him as he looks through the scope of my SIR-15 carbine past the grass on the edge of a large clearing. Overhead, in the distance I can see an all-black pegasus floating in the air, pointing down below him.

Suddenly I hear the squeals of several radhogs from the direction he is pointing. None of us is even a bit anxious. We do this all the time.

I keep looking through the binoculars as I ask him, “So dear, have you thought about what you are going to do after we graduate next week?”

I hear more than see him take a breath, as the sound of breaking brush and squealing radhogs rushes towards the clearing we are next to.

Then I suddenly hear him hold his breath and I look up a bit just in time to see Sunny dive down and snatch up the young filly with her red coat, and black and green striped mane and tail.

As she is lifted into the air only scant feet from in front of the radhogs I hear her yell out “WHOOO HOOO! Fly Sunny, Fly!”

This causes me to laugh slightly just as Xochitl fires off three quick shots and I hear three six-legged radhogs all crash to the ground. He looks up from the sights and turns his head to me as he says, “No, not really, Father and I have discussed my joining the NCR Army, but I am not too sure about that. Besides, my mother would flip her mane if I did.

As we begin to stand up and walk over to begin field dressing the radhogs I begin to laugh lightly. “Yeah, I am sure she would,” I tell him as I look at him, admiring his light green coat and his dark stripes along with is black mane and tail. Finally, I look into his blue eyes.

Just then Sunny lands and sets my little sister Raven down. She trots over to me and says, “Ok sis, where are my caps? You said you would pay me to play bait this time.”

I am just getting ready to reach into my Saddlebags to give her the share of what we will get when from behind me I hear Xavier, Xochitl’s zebra father, and my family’s hired hoof, ask, “Ginger, I thought your mothers and fathers have told your not to use your siblings for bait?”

As he says this I notice Woofers, one of our family’s enfields hovering just above him. Even as old as he is getting, Woofers has a fairly dark red coat and feathers. I musingly wonder how something that looks so much like a fox got wings. But he is a good pet and friend to us, even if most pegasi hate them as scavangers.

I realize Xavier is expecting me to answer and I look down at the ground and blush. Twisting my left hind leg as I answer, “Yes sir, they did. But she wanted to earn a few extra caps and asked me if she could this time.”

As I say this, she is nodding her head and holding out a hoof. Xavier just shakes his head and laughs some. Then he says, “Ok, I will say nothing about it. But Raven, if they make you do it and you do not want to, let me know.”

She nods her head and I hoof her 3 caps. One for each hog, as we agreed upon earlier. Xavier looks at how much I am giving her and I see him raise an eyebrow, turn his head to the side slightly and shake his head, “Really Ginger, you will receive at least ten caps a radhog and you only give her three?”

Sunny then approaches us and says, “Sir, two of these are for the graduation party that the Colonel and her spouses are throwing for Ginger and Xochitl. So, we will only get the money for one hog. Sir, we each gave up a cap for her.”

I notice that Raven is smiling and nodding her head as we say this.

Xavier looks at the young filly appraisingly and nods his head, “Ok then, Now I will go get the cart while two of you begin to field dress these three, the third begins to clean weapons.” He turns back to Raven and tells her, “And you, young mare will accompany me and Woofers back to the farm. You still have homework to do I am sure, and your mother would be very unhappy with me for allowing you to sneak out of it.”

I almost laugh at the expression on Raven’s face when he mentions homework. But she does not argue. Instead, she simply says, “Yes sir.”

As they leave Xochitl tells me, “Dear, why don’t you head back to the farm and clean the weapons. Sunny and I have this. Besides, I know you would clean the SIR later anyways.”

I smile as I know he is right and that he knows me so well. I then tell him, “If you are sure dear, I will.” He nods his head in reply and then I give him a kiss on his muzzle.

He kisses me back and after we break our kiss, I see him grin. I love this buck so much, but I cannot help but tease him a bit as I begin to walk back to the farm, I lift my tail and swish it just a bit more than normal as I walk. Then just before I go out of sight I turn to see if he is still watching, which he is. So, I stop and blow him a kiss, then I truly begin to head back to the farm.

As I enter the farmyard, I hear Papa Badger call me over, “Ginger, come here please.”

I nod my head in response and walk over to him, afraid of what I may have done to get into trouble this time. Once I am close enough, he lightly pats a spot on the front porch next to him, so I go and sit there.

Once I am seated, he asks me, “What have we told you about using your siblings for bait?”

I feel myself blush and I tell him, “Papa Badger, Xavier said he wouldn’t tell.”

I see him raise an eyebrow when I say that and he says, “He didn’t, but now I will have to have a talk with him too.”

“But Papa, she asked to, so she could earn some caps.”

“And did you pay her for it?” He asks sternly.

“Yes Papa, we gave her three caps because we got three hogs, even though we knew we were only going to get paid for one of them.”

He nods his head, “Ok, I will say no more. That is the same story she told me. However, dear, seriously, you know Raven cannot keep her mouth quiet. She told Mama Sumac about Sunny picking her up and flying with her as soon as she got home.”

I facehoof and think to myself, dang it Raven, you promised.

Finally, he tells me, “Ok, go clean your SIR and then get ready for dinner.” As I get up he gives me a one-hoofed hug and tells me, “Oh, and in case I have not told you, I am very proud of you for finishing school. You and your sister Epona have both made us very proud.”

I hug him back, “Thanks, papa. I really needed to hear that today.”

He tilts his head and asks, ‘Why is that tiger?”

“Because, after we graduate, I don’t know what I am going to do."

He grins, “Dear, you have an adventurer's cutie mark. I am sure you will find something.”

I sigh, “Maybe, but what about Epona and my friends?”

He puts a forehoof around my shoulder and smiles at me as he tells me, “Dear, I am sure you will find something. But if you are still worried, you could always ask Choo Choo for advice after all she went through the same thing two years ago. I know she debated on whether to reenlist or get out when her time was done.”

I smile when he mentions our blue alicorn friend we used to call ol’ Train Wreck. She taught me a lot on the expedition. But then again, those were not always the best of times either. So many lost. Mom. I will never forget the Battle of Targhee when me and my big sister Dusty were with her and Mollygirl as she died. It still hurts after all these years. But yeah, maybe I can talk to her, I decide.

“Ok, Papa, I think I will do that.”

“Good, now let’s get that cleaning done so we can get dinner soon.” He tells me as he holds the door open and we go in.

*****

White Cloud, Manesville District NCR: Xochitl

As I watch her walk away, I smile and then I take out the knife on my belt and begin to field dress the radhog. The knife I am using is my family knife. My father carried it when we escaped from being slaves and I began to carry it when Ginger and I ran away with Choo Choo to join the Co-op Expeditionary force. When Father found out the reason that he could not find it to take with him was that I had it, he was not happy. However, he agreed that a stallion in the wastelands should always have a good knife and I have carried it with his blessing ever since.

As I do the mind-numbing work of making the cuts and beginning to remove the offal, I am humming to myself. Next to me at the second-largest radhog, Sunny has his knife in his muzzle also, but he does use his wings some. I am glad for the help but I know he hates trying to get this stuff out of his feathers.

We are about halfway done when Sunny sits up and puts his knife down and says, “Ok, time for a quick break.” He wipes his muzzle as he looks at me and asks, “Ok, so when are you going to ask her?”

I laugh lightly, “I swear, I will let you know when I am ready Sunny, ok?”

This time he looks me in the eyes and shakes his head, “No Xochitl, I need to know your intentions toward a mare in our clan. Not only my pa, but also my gramps has asked me, and they are curious. Especially as you have not asked them for their permission to court her.”

I shake my head, “Sunny, she may be a member of your clan, but that doesn’t hold much to me. The “Colonel” has known my intentions since the Valley. I have had her permission since then.”

I see Sunny raise an eyebrow at me, “Well Gramps still wants to talk to you. Proprieties and all, ya know.”

This time I shake my head slightly and I tell him, “Sunny, why didn’t you just say that in the first place. Instead, you made it seem like a challenge, and you know if someone comes at me, I still tend to go right back at them.”

He nods his head, “Yeah, I saw that after we started school with you and Cowlick. His left ear never did heal up fully from that fight.”

This time I feel myself blush and embarrassedly I tell him, “Yeah, that was not one of my proudest moments. I guess we better get back to work now before Father gets back with the cart.”

He nods his head, then I ask, “So, speaking of intentions, who are you dating this week?”

Sunny laughs around the knife and tells me, “Taking a break this week, That and trying to figure out who I should try and date next.”

I laugh at this as I begin to clear out more of the body cavity. I swear Sunny has dated all the mares and I suspect at least two heifers our age at our school and in White Cloud.

As I finish this one and begin to move onto the final radhog my father gets back with the cart. He has us load the first one into the cart and as he and Sunny head back to the farm to hang it I begin on the final one.

As I am working, I find myself thinking back to the Siege of Serenity Valley, or just the Valley as those of us who were there call it. It has been eight years and I still shake slightly when I think of it. While we were there, late one night while Ginger was still using the sinks, I realized we might not all make it out alive and that it was my only chance to ask Lieutenant Mollygirl if I could marry Ginger. She smiled and told me yes, but not to rush things.

I only have to wait a short while after I finish with the third radhog before they show back up. Once we have it in the cart, we just take this one straight into White Cloud so we can deliver it to the cook Stir Fry at the pub there.

As we pull up, she nods her head, “Ok you two, did you get a chance to drain this one out yet?”

I shake my head, “No ma’am. We just got it and it is fresh.”

She nods her head, and says, “Ok Xavier, if you don’t mind, please take it around back and we will hang it from the balcony again.”

“Not a problem, Stir,” Father tells her as he begins to move to the back. We help Stir hang it, then we wash up in the basin she has out back just for that reason. After which I ask, “Father, would you like a cider while we are here?”

I see my father grin as he replies, “That would be pleasant my son, thank you.”

He pulls the cart back around to the front. Sunny and I help him to drop the cart and untack, then we go inside for a nice chilled drink.

As we go inside, I notice Ginger’s best friend Twinkle Hoofs is working some of the tables. Twinkles graduated last year when both I and Ginger should have. I see Sunny looking her over and grinning.

Father asks, “Ok Sunny, what has you smiling so broadly?”

He looks at my father and says, “Sorry Xavier, I was just admiring her dark pink coat and how it seems to actually go good with her green apron.”

Father grins at him and shakes his head, then he slightly raises a hoof to try and get Twinkle's attention.

Once she notices us, she nods to us and she comes over. “Hey Cohitl, Sunny,” she says to us, then she nods to my father and asks, “Good evening, sir, what can I get you?”

Xavier smiles at her, “Good Evening Twinkles, my usual please.”

She smiles then looks at me and Sunny and asks, “And for you?”

I look at my father and he nods his head to me, “I will have a cider also.”

Sunny then says, “Same here Twinks. By the way, it is good to see you again.”

She coolly says, “It is good to see you too Sunny, and no, I will not go out with you.”

As both my father and I begin to laugh he sits there with his mouth hanging open and asks, “How, how did you know I was going to ask that?”

She looks at him with a cocked head, “Sunny, every female in these parts knows about you. Come on, it isn’t that hard to figure out.”

I hear Sunny sigh, “Really Twinks, you’re going to be that way?”

She puts a hoof on her side and replies, “Yes I am. You can be any way you want, just do not expect every female around to want to deal with it.”

“Oh, ok Twinks, sorry for bothering ya.”

“No problem, Sunny, we are friends, but honestly, I don’t like you that way.”

I hear him laugh lightly to himself, “I know, you have said it before, but I still had to try.”

She pats him on the shoulder, “I understand, but honestly, you are not my type.”

“So, who is your type Twinks?” I ask.

She grins at me and puts a forehoof under my chin, “What’s it matter to you Cohtil? Your all but married already.” When she says this, I notice father only raises an eyebrow, but then again, he and I have discussed this before.

I just grin at her and say, “I was not asking for me Twinks.”

“Then for who?”

“Just a friend, that is all,” I tell her.

She is starting to head to the bar for our drinks when I hear her call out, “Hey Pona.”

I turn to look and I see Ginger’s sister Epona entering the pub. Even though she started school after us, she still graduated before us. Sometimes it is hard to believe that she and Ginger could be sisters, instead of Ginger's red coat, she has a light yellow one as well as freckles. However, they do both have jet-black tails and manes. Well except for some white streaks that Epona now has. Of course, while they should be half-sisters, they can’t be, as Ginger was born here, and Epona, well she was born on the other side of a portal and in a world where things didn't work out the same as they did for us.

I notice right away she seems upset as I wave to her and as she takes a seat with us, I ask, “So, what has you so upset, Epona?”

She looks at me and tells me, “Those dumb SOBs over at the recruiting office told me I can’t join because I was not born in this universe.”

I raise an eyebrow at this and simply listen as she continues to vent. “They said it didn’t matter if I was the Colonel's adopted daughter or that I was on the old recruiting poster with my little sisters and Tater. Noooo, that was not good enough. Or the fact that I had snuck with the Colonel on the raid into New Hope.”

I simply nod still as does Sunny as we both have heard her, Tater and even Xyliana talk about that raid. But we weren’t there. I guess she probably feels the same way when I, Sunny, or Ginger actually talk about the Valley.

Finally, as she is running out of steam I ask, “So what else have you thought of doing?”

She looks up at me frustrated and tells me, “I don’t know, maybe I should talk to our cousin Rust Water about the Baltimare Colt, or I guess I could see if I could join the navy and serve on the S. Glimmer with Rough Water.”

I nod my head, “Not a bad idea Epona. But is that what you really want to do?”

She shakes her head, “No, but I am being blocked from that right now.”

After Twinkle Hoofs brings our drinks, we continue to talk some more. Finally, my father says, “Epona, why do you not talk to your mother, or even better, if Tater’s father Tail Spin is back in town, talk to him. Maybe they can help you find some more options.”

She nods her head, “Yea, that sounds good Xavier. Thanks for pointing that out. It’s just that I wanted to serve like my mom or my other parents.”

He nods his head, “I understand young mare, but sometimes life surprises us, and we find out the direction we thought we were supposed to be going is only a side path to help us find our true path.”

She looks at me, and I at her. Then we both shrug. Why not talk to them, maybe they can come up with something different for us.

*****

White Cloud, Manesville District NCR: Choo Choo

As I come into land at Sumac and our family's farm, I smile to myself. I see so many of the ponies I know there. I also see my two sisters, Quick Frost, and Blue Star. I notice that they are off to the side talking with some of the cattle that have already arrived as well.

Then I see him, the one pony who always brightens up my days. Paper Work. He sees me and waves to me. I wave back and blow him a quick kiss from my forehoof. Then I circle one more time before I land.

Once I land, I hear a little filly yell out, “Granny Choo!”

I turn my head just in time to see my Moon Lily, one of my youngest descendants from when I was still a unicorn galloping over for a hug. I cannot help but grin at the young unicorn with her black coat and green mane and tail.

While I did not remember it, a few years back I was told by my unicorn self's now ghoul fiancé that he had paid for my daughter and her family to go into the stable here in Manesville.

She leaps into the air and I grab her with my forehooves for a hug. Then she asks, “What spell ya gonna teach me Granny?”

I smile and shake my head, “None tonight little one.”

“Ahhh, I was hoping.” She tells me.

I laugh lightly and then I whisper in her ear, “If I were to teach you one, which one would it be?”

I see her start to look shyly about then she whispers to me “Teleportation.”

I smile and muse to myself, I bet she could do it, but Purple Haze and her mother would be ready to skin me. I still remember when she learned how to use a lightning bolt spell just by watching me and then destroyed a plow, singeing poor Purple’s mane and tail. So, I answer her, “Not yet, but when your mom and Auntie Purple say I can, I will. Ok?”

I can hear the disappointment in her voice as she says, “Oh, ok,”

I put her down and rub her mane with my forehoof, “As soon as I can though I will.”

“Ok Granny, thank you,” she tells me, then she runs off to play with the other youngsters that are there.

I then go and find both Ginger and Xochitl and congratulate them on their having completed school.

“Thank you, Choo,” they both say to me almost at the same time. Then Ginger says, “But what do we do now?”

“Well, I have an idea I might run past you later,” I tell them.

Then I hear Ginger’s sister Epona walk up behind me and she says, “Hey guys, mind if I join you?”

“Not at all Epona, it’s not like we are scouts or rangers talking about something secret,” Xochitl says off hoofily.

I then grin and I tell them, “Well if you are looking for something to do now that you are done with school, I guess you could keep your hog hunting business and working at the pub going,” I pause for effect, “or maybe we could form a team to do some odd jobs that the Rangers need doing, but want to keep their hooves clean.”

I notice this has all three of their interests. What I had not realized is that their cousin Sunny had flown up behind me, that is until he says, “Sounds good to me Choo. Count me in.”

I then look around and notice how many others are here so I tell them, “If you are serious, meet me at the waterfront at ten tomorrow morning, we can discuss it more then.”

I see them all grin, then Ginger looks back at her cutie mark and smiles, “Maybe I will get to use it after all she says.”

Then we hear the voice of a young bull call out, “He Cohtil, Ging, come on over, you got to try this dressing my ma made for the salads.”

The three look at each other and Xochitl tells me, “I will see you then Choo, I better get to Cowlick before he gets in trouble.”

As they walk away, I think, maybe we can really get this off the ground like Chip, Blackberry, and Tail Spin suggested. Then I quickly stop them and I tell them, “Oh, and if you have a couple of friends you think might be interested, have them join us for the discussion tomorrow too.”

The next morning, I am sitting on a bench by the waterfront when I see first Ginger, Xochitl, and Sunny coming my way. They are followed shortly by Epona and Tater. I think to myself, now this is a good start. Not too bad a size for us to begin with.

Then I see Ginger stop and wave to somepony behind her. I notice it is a unicorn walking next to a bull. Once they are close enough, I somewhat recognize them as friends of theirs. They all approach me and I tell them, “Thanks for meeting me, for those who don’t know me, I am Choo Choo, and you are?”

Ginger then says, “Choo, this young mare here,” as she points at a dark pink-coated unicorn with a lighter pink tail, mane, and hooves, “Is my best friend Twinkle Hoofs. Most of us just call her Twinks.”

I extend a hoof toward Twinkle and say, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She shakes hooves as she nods and tells me, “You too ma’am.”

Then Xochitl nods toward the large brown-colored bull next to him. As I look at him, I see his left ear is torn up, huh, must be a fighter, I think to myself. I admire his attempt at growing a beard, most of the bulls I have met try to keep their facial hair neatly trimmed. Then I hear Xochitl say, “This is our friend Cowlick.”

He smiles warmly and in a good-natured voice says, “Good to see you again Miss Choo. Cohtil and Ging both have told us a lot about you.”

I tell him, “It is good to meet you again too, young bull.” Then quickly turn my head to Xochitl and Ginger with a raised eyebrow before I ask, “Do we have anyone else coming to meet with us?”

Xochitl has a serious expression on his face as he answers my question, “No, not for now at least. We decided to keep our number small and only those we really trust.”

This makes me feel much better. I then tell them, “Ok, I have a business proposal to make to you all. I have already reserved a private room in the Paddock, so let’s go grab something to drink and lunch. I will talk it over with you then.”

As we enter the Paddock, the owner, A middle-aged light green stallion wearing a white shirt, bow tie, and black vest, warmly greets us, “Miss Choo Choo, good morning, your hosts are already in the back waiting, please follow me.”

I greet him back, “Hello Mise en Place, please lead the way.” He nods in acknowledgment and heads to a hallway next to the kitchen. As he goes we quickly follow him to the back.

As we enter the private meeting room, I see my three friends Chip, Blackberry Pie, and Tail Spin already sitting down together on one side of a large table. Blackberry, with her navy blue coat and purple mane and tail, stands up and smiles at all of us and says, “Thank you for coming today.”

We all nod back to her. “Thank you for inviting us,” I tell her.

She motions for us to sit and once we have taken our chairs she begins. “For those of you who don’t know us. Chip and I used to be operatives for the Co-op before it joined the NCR. Tail Spin joined us once we became Rangers for the NCR.”

She pauses and watches our reactions before continuing. “As Rangers, we have performed many different duties. These duties include escort, scouting, and even espionage when needed. However, right now we are looking for private individuals to hire who can assist us in these endeavors. Ginger, Epona, Tater, and Xochitl we know as well as Choo have plenty of experience in such situations. We also will need such individuals to go into some areas that we as NCR representatives cannot. Some of these situations are very touchy and if handled wrong by NCR units could cause an international incident, while if you were caught it would only affect you and those with you.”

Xochitl raises a hoof to get her attention and then asks, “So we are not going to have the support of the NCR if we do these jobs?”

She tilts her head to the left and raises an eyebrow before she says, “Officially? No, unofficially, yes.” She pauses and considers her words carefully. Then she says, “There are certain jobs that are just too complicated for us to get officially involved in.”

Xochitl then asks, “So, in other words, we are getting called in for jobs you do not want to handle?”

She shakes her head, “Not that we do not want to do, but that for certain reasons we cannot do,” she pauses then looks at me and grins slightly, and then says, “sort of like taking a damaged plow to a blacksmith to be repaired.”

I feel myself blushing as I remember Moon Lily and Purple with the plow incident. Evidently, the others all heard about it as they begin to laugh and look at me.

Finally, Epona asks, “So you want us to be on call like a bunch of repair ponies for those types of jobs?”

“Exactly, just like repair ponies,” Blackberry tells her.

“Uh, so who is going to contact us to let us know when the NCR needs us?” Epona then asks.

“We will do so. My team is going to be your handlers for the Rangers,” Blackberry states calmly.

I nod my head as do those who are with me. Next Tater asks, “So what type of equipment and weapons can we use?”

“You can use whatever you want. We will give you a stipend to make initial purchases for equipment as you will be contractors for us of course.”

When she says this, I notice Twinkles raise an eyebrow and she asks, “What type of equipment?”

I then hear an exasperated Blackberry tell her, “Armor, tools, PipBucks, field kits. You can purchase it second-hoof or use what you may already have.”

I raise an eyebrow at this. And I hear Tater say, “Well I know they are selling off some of the old CDF equipment, maybe we can pick that up cheap.” Then he looks at Twinkle Hoofs and asks, “Ok Twinks, I know you love tech and working with it, so what would you want to pick up?”

I see her grin, as she thinks about it. Then she says, “Well, until we get PipBucks, small radio communication sets, a nice set of electronic test and repair equipment. At the least a good magic tester. A PipBuck maintenance set would be really ideal…”

Before they can go on too much longer, I stop them, “So, how many of you are interested in this?”

They all look at each other, then back at me. I see the smiles on their faces. Then, Ginger answers me for them. “I think we are all in on this boss.”

I see Blackberry and her team all visibly relax. Then she tells us, “Good now that is decided, I will give you the address of your business front for this. We expect you to take on some side jobs just for appearances.”

We all nod in response. She nods back and says “Good, now that is agreed to, we can have lunch.”

Finally Ginger then says, “That is good and all, but Epona and I will be needing to discuss with you our rates. After all, we will need to get paid.”

When she says this I facehoof and shake my head as I think Bless their mercenary little hearts.

*****

Thunderhead, Grand Pegasus Enclave. Ball Lightning.

“So, son, now that you have almost finished college, what are your plans for the future?” I hear my father ask as he puts one hoof on my shoulder.

Without meaning to, I shift my wings in irritation. I know what he wants me to do, and honestly, I would rather not do it. On the other hoof, I am sure it would beat starvation if I do not find a job right away.

“I am still thinking about it, Dad. Tomorrow I am going to talk to the recruiters at school and see what they have to offer.”

I hear him harrumph when I tell him this. “Son, you know our family has a long history of service to the Enclave. That is why I was able to get you into school and keep you there during the recent drafts that have been called.”

I find myself sighing again as I tell him, “Yes dad, I do understand that. I just am still trying to figure out what to do with my life.”

Dad shakes his head, “Son, it’s not that hard. Do you want to be a Cloudie and join the Enclave Navy or do you want to be a Dust Devil and join the army? You know our family has normally been in the Army, but we have had a few that have served on the cloud ships too.”

“But Dad, what if they send me dirtside?” I ask nervously.

“What is wrong with that Ball Lightning? I did my time in the scouts and went dirt side plenty, and I survived with no ill effects,” he tells me.

I simply nod as I do not want to argue with him again. Instead, I simply look at where his right hind leg used to be. It has since been replaced by a black mechanical one. I then remember him talking about an ambush in some camp dirtside near Hoofington about ten years ago. I guess he just is glad it was not one of his wings.

Then I ask him, “Dad, seriously, what would you recommend?”

I see him put his hoof under his chin and he actually thinks about it briefly. Finally, he says, “Before I saw what happened at the Battle of Thunderhead, I would have said Navy. But now, now I say army, at least there you can shoot back. The only ones who can actually shoot back on an airship are the gunners, and they get told who to shoot at by the gunnery officers. The rest have to just sit and take it.”

I can understand what he means and I realize I will take this under consideration in the morning when I talk to the recruiters. In the meantime after dinner tonight I will try to go talk with Sundancer to see what she thinks I should do. I mean after three years of dating, maybe she should weigh in on this too.

The next morning, I am walking across the campus on my way to see the recruiters when I see Sundancer wave at me. I have to admire her bright yellow coat and her orange mane and tail.

I do believe she and I will make some beautiful foals when her colors are combined with my red coat and my white main and tail, I think to myself.

I stop and wait for her to catch up with me and she asks, “You're early for your classes today, Ball. What’s up?”

I shrug my wings and let my ears drift back some as I tell her, “Just going to talk to the recruiters again.”

She shakes her head, “Your old stallion again?”

“Yeah, dad thinks that the only thing a real stallion should do is serve the Enclave in the military.”

“Let me guess Ball, he wants you to follow in his hoof steps and be a dust devil.”

I simply nod my head and I tell her, “Got it on the first try. So, what brings you here so early?”

“Oh, similar reasons, but I think we have enough military in our line, so I am going to talk to the Volunteer Corps. I mean we still have some pegasi that are living dirtside from when they fled Thunderhead during their rebellion against the Enclave.”

I shake my head and smile then I ask, “Dear, do you really think they would want our help if they were really that ready to fight the Enclave?”

She nods her head, “Of course, think of how horrible it must be for them to live among those horrid mud dwellers down there. Why would they not want our help?”

I simply shrug in reply. Then I look at my pastern watch and tell her, “I best get moving or I will be late for my appointment. I will see you after class today, right?”

She nods her head and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and tells me, “Of course, I will see you then.” Then she and I both continue on our different ways to the recruiters. Little do I know at this time how symbolic this moment will be for us.

The recruiting offices are located in the same building as the rest of the school administration offices. The first time I visited them, I found out that these two offices are strictly for those who want to become officers and will either sign up for the Officers Training Corps during school or after finishing their degrees want to serve.

As I enter the office, I see several posters on the wall showing Officers in full dress uniform or battle armor. All extolling us to be the new leaders of the Enclave soldiers. I also see the recruiting officer behind the desk he has on his standard black uniform with his ribbon bar on his chest. I also notice that this officer has a Scout's tab on his right shoulder, just below the epaulet that he wears his captains’ bars on.

He notices me looking at the tab and smiles. Then he says, “Ball Lightning? Pleased to meet you.” And he extends a hoof to me.

I shake his hoof and tell him, “It is a pleasure to meet you too sir.” Actually, it is compared to the last recruiter I talked to here. He had an attitude as soon as I walked in the door. This one, well, he makes me feel like he is interested in me and what I want.

“So, son, I have read your file, you have a good family history, and your scores in school show real promise. In fact, you could write your ticket in the Navy, but as you are here and not talking to them, I think you are interested in following your family’s tradition.”

I nod my head, as he asks, “So, Ball, knowing this, what is it that you want out of life?”

He catches me off guard with this question and I tell him, “I want to be happy and have a family.”

He leans back in his chair, puts a hoof under his chin, and asks, “And what is that you need to have to have a family?”

I look at the ceiling as I think briefly and I tell him, “Well besides a willing mare, I would say a secure job.”

He smiles at my slight joke and then asks, “So, once you have this secure job, so you can be happy and have a family, how do you feel this will benefit you in your future?”

I pause and think, well I would be happy, but honestly, it would mean I have made something of myself. Then I tell him, “I guess it would mean I would be a success and not a failure.”

He tilts his head and asks, “So let me get this straight, you want to be happy and have a family, is that right?”

I nod my head yes. Then he asks, “But to get this you need to have a secure job, is that right?”

Again, I nod my head and tell him yes. Then he asks, “So once you have this job, so you can have a family and be happy you will be successful, is that correct?”

“Yes sir,” I tell him.

He leans forward in his seat smiling and tells me, “Well Ball, I have a way for you to get that secure job, so you can have that family that makes you happy so you can be successful right here in the Enclave army.”

He then begins to go into the benefits of being in the Enclave army and particularly those of being an officer. When he has finished, he asks, “So Ball, would next Tuesday be a good day for you to go to our processing center, take your physical examination and sign your contract?”

“I, I guess so, I just had not expected it to be so soon.”

He grins at me and tells me, “Don’t worry, you won’t be sent to your training until after your classes finish in two weeks. But as soon as your classes are done, we will have your new job and life waiting for you.”

I tell him next Tuesday will be fine and listen to the rest of his spiel as we go through the initial paperwork for me to join as an officer. I am surprised though when before I sign the final page, he stops me and looks me in the eyes, and tells me, “Son, you do realize that if you fail the officers’ training course you will still be committed to completing your time as an enlisted pony?”

I nod my head, and tell him, “Yeah, I figured as much, but thanks for making sure I knew.”

After we are done, I go and I meet Sundancer for lunch. As we are sitting there enjoying our hayburgers she tells me, “It is official Ball, I ship off to a two-week training course just as soon as I finish our graduation exams.”

She is so excited about it, that I do not have the heart to tell her how worried I will be about her going ground side. Instead, I tell her, “Well it sounds like we both have a reason to celebrate tonight. How about we go out for dinner and a movie tonight?”

“That would be great Ball. I will see you then.” She tells me, then she looks at the clock on the wall and tells me, “Whoops, gotta go. I got class in five minutes,” and I watch her take off and fly away as fast as she can for her next class.

As I watch her recede into the distance, I can only worry about what the future will bring for us.

*****

This is DJ Pon3, for all my fans out there in the Wastelands tonight, remember that while we may have the skies clear things are still not back to where they once were. Keep your powder dry and your weapons at hoof. For all of you out there in our Fledgling NCR here is Wartorn.

Author's Note

Readers welcome to the story of Ginger, Xochitl, and friends. While this is a direct spin-off of Fallout Equestria: Borderlands we will be changing things up a bit. In Borderlands, we got to see the Repair Ponies some, but here we will be able to see what the Repair Ponies really were up to and how. I hope you all will enjoy this story.

For those who would like to hear the dedication song for this chapter, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KX_0-yK8wI