Fallout Equestria: Man out of time

It was morning now; I didn't know that Littlepip had also called new Appaloosa to pick up the rescued slaves as well. Hence why a mix of both my rescue team from the Caravan and wagons from new Appaloosa showed up outside the farm, slaves in tow. Hell, even Disty doo showed up as well, that makes one part of my trip easier. Spyglass led my small group of jeeps and trucks and had left it up to the ponies which group they wanted to go with went it came to where they wanted to stay. Needless to say, the majority stayed with the Caravan. But some did go to new Appaloosa, which I had no gripe against. It's their choice, and I respect it.

Im not going to lie when I say I had a slight mental breakdown after/during the conversation with Velvet. Seeing a balefire bomb that close up just destroyed me. I never figured out where the little one got it from. I don't think I cared that much, to be honest. I just wanted the thing gone. That's why I had to intervene when Railright, who also showed up for some fucking reason, wanted to take it.

"Oh hell no!" I said, walking up to Calamity and Railright, who were speaking about the bomb. "There is no fresh chance in hell that you of all the factions are gonna take that fucking thing."

"why not?" Railright asked, clearly confused.

"I know you do trade with Redeye's people, and I know he's looking out for something to give him more 'leverage.' You know how I operate, so no, there's no way you're taking it." I made sure my point got across with my body language. Calamity saw what was starting to unfold and decided to go elsewhere.

"Well, this farm is still technically in the jurisdiction of new appaloosa, so anything here is also ours to lay claim to." He sounded real fucking cocky, like he had just won the discussion and started walking away. Spyglass was listening in on the whole thing, so when I looked at him and gave a slight nod, and returned it. He knew what was about to transpire.

"You misunderstand, mister Railright," I said, raising my fist to be even with my head. He turned back to face me. As I heard several guns cock from my fellow specters, railright's men from new Appaloosa started to panic and pointed their guns back at the mechanized soldiers. Two came to my sides to aim at railright. "When I say you're not taking it, I MEAN IT. I do not negotiate when it comes to nuclear superweapons."

Railright was absolutely baffled, along with everyone else here. The only ones without a gun pointed at them were those in Littlepips company and Disty doo. And even they were tense.

"Spyglass! make sure that bomb isn't armed and load it up." The tall slim specter with a large obsidian glass eye wasted no time and took three specters with him into the barn.

"you do this, and you're not welcome back into new Appaloosa either. You know that, right" Railright asked.

"I know," I responded. "DISTY, FRONT AND CENTER!"

It only took her a few seconds to come over. She nodded in acknowledgment as she sat down in front of me.

"Look," I started, dropping to one knee. "I know you have your reservations with new Appaloosa. But I know you're taking in the young filly over there, and Railright said it himself that Appaloosa isn't that safe anymore with what Littlepip's group did over in old Appaloosa with the slavers. So I am making a new offer to you. I will give you a few specters to run your shop in new Appaloosa while you are not there, and you can take your business on the go with us on the Caravan. And I know you know that my Caravan is the safest place for any children. Raiders and Slavers know better than to mess with us. So what do you say?" I reached out a hand for a handshake. Disty doo was deep in thought and somewhat shocked at my newest offer.

"What makes you think we'll let your metal men stay in new appaloosa after this, let alone let her back in if she does go with you?" Railright was getting pissed now.

"because most if not all of your town loves her, And if you ban her from returning, then you're going to lose your job and get thrown out. And I know you are too stuck up and stubborn to let that happen." I replied with a smile. He lowered his head, knowing that I had a point.

Disty Doo scribbled something down on her chalkboard and faced it towards me in her mouth. "I could come back whenever I want?"

"Certainly, sometimes, when the Caravan is in certain parts of Equestria, it might take some time to get back. But for the most part, if you ever want to go back and run the store for a day or two, I'll send a small group with you to ensure your safe arrival."

She thought for a few more moments before wiping the board with her hoof and scribbling something else before turning it to face me again. "can I paint them? also, tell them to lower the guns." She then pointed to one of the specters nearby.

I lowered my fist, and the specters returned to a passive stance. "I don't see why you couldn't paint them."

She was so deep in thought, her one eye rolling back. As a businesswoman, she was considering a lot about this deal. She sat there for what felt like hours. I then thought of something I didn't want to use as bribery, but when it comes to having Her being there across Equestria and her doing the deliveries to new Appaloosa instead of myself. I decided just to try it. As much as I hated their trading partners, I didn't want to leave new Appaloosa hanging in the wind.

"Ugh, I didn't want to throw this into the deal. I'd rather do it as a kind gesture. But I do think with some hard work, elbow grease, and a little luck. I could get your voice back."

Her ears shot up, and her eye rolled back into place as she stared at me in shock. She quickly wiped the board clean and wrote hastily enough in big, bold letters on the thing. "REALLY?!"

"Well, not yet. Im still refreshing myself and Romulus on the ins and outs of pony anatomy and testing things. Suppose I wanted to replace a human tongue or voice box with a cybernetic replacement or just a full-on metal one, I could. But since there are only ponies here in Equestria, that knowledge is really just a reference point. Which is better than nothing, and it is possible to do it, just given time. The only variable I've yet to account for is the 'ghoul' part. But considering if you figure out the baseline for a normal pony. Ghouls should come naturally."

She thought for just before replying via her board. "okay, but I pick the specters and an equal amount in pony staff. A balance is always needed..." she ran out of room and had to clear the board again. "And I want you to keep making your deliveries to new Appaloosa."

I leaned in close, gesturing her to come closer as I whispered into her ear. "that's kinda the reason why I want you in the Caravan so badly now. You show up and make the deliveries on the rounds since mister stuck up prick over there banned me. But you can get in no problem. Despite new Appaloosa's trading partners, I don't want to abandon them."

I stood back up. She understood now and reached out a hoof with a smile. We shook as the deal was made.

We rode back to new Appaloosa to pick up the stuff Romulus had left for me. Also, Disty Doo needed to pack a few things before heading out. The jeeps I had in the Caravan weren't all that impressive technology wize, at least in my eyes. Littlepip was absolutely entranced by them. The low hum from the electric engines underneath was the only noise they ever made unless the mounted swivel turret on the back of a few of them was firing. The main parts other than the frame and engine were reinforced by scrap metal and bits of element steel when I was able to make it. It wasn't complicated. It just took time to make it. On top of them not having roofs to allow for maximum space. As for how we powered these jeeps, the engines themselves never precisely ran out of power. We just had to stop sometimes and have either a few ponies or specters tow them for a little while, letting them re-fill. I figured out a way to make static electricity on a mega scale, using friction in the engine with conductive metal ball bearings. These engines can run for three days straight without stopping for a few hours to recharge. It was great, but most of the time, we'd stop and make camp at night. Give out pony friends a rest.

As for the specters that drove these vehicles, they never talked unless talked to. Or unless checking on a pony who tripped and fell and making sure they were okay. They had narrow heads with glowing blue lights that resembled eyes. The main bulk of the bodies were rigid and fine cut rather than round or smooth. Thanks to the custom hydraulics, they could lift a lot more than most. They ran on batteries that the jeeps would charge at night so the ponies could walk less during the day. Amongst the advanced machinery were also ponies, besides our new additions to the Caravan. They had been there for a while. I didn't get many permanent members pony-wise till my Caravan made it to Tempony tower for the first time, and DJpon3 started practically preaching about the work I do. Then at each stop in a town or even on the road, we've gotten new members ever since. They were the faces of trade, even though the whole wasteland knew my Caravan. They still didn't fully trust the tech. So having ponies be the first things they saw really helped morale-wise.

I was sitting passenger in the lead jeep. Spyglass was behind the wheel. While Littlepip and the gang were in the back seats and the small bed that stretched out the back. We moved most of the gear and such to other jeeps so they could rest their aching hoofs. Railrights ponies were toward the rear of our current position, they couldn't keep up with our jeeps, and we needed to form up with the rest of the Caravan. Disty doo was in a separate jeep with Silver Bell. That was her actual name. She was doing her best to be a mother figure for the little filly. It made feel warm inside that some ponies in this shithole of a world were still good enough to be better than the rest.

"Riley, were you really gonna kill everypony back there?" I heard from behind me as littlepip broke the silence that fell upon us since we started moving.

I shifted in my seat, resting my left arm across the top of it, which was still sore from it being dislocated a few days prior, now facing the small mare behind me. I leaned my head to look behind her to double-check that none of Railright's people were in eavesdropping distance.

"Of course not!" I started, "what you gotta understand, Littlepip, is that when it comes to shit like THAT." I stopped pointing at the balefire bomb strapped down to a jeep. "I don't fuck around. I have a reputation that goes back fifteen years with this Caravan. I know a lot of ponies, and a lot more know me. And some of those ponies could do nasty things with a weapon like that, mainly Redeye. What you saw back there was nothing more than me using that reputation to my advantage, no more, no less." She nodded in understanding.

"HOWEVER," I started again, "I did have to take into account that me and Railright haven't exactly seen eye to eye on many things. We butt heads more often than not. In my opinion, he shouldn't be leading anything other than himself. He's grown too comfortable in his position of power, and it's going to his head. So he tends to have his temper use that power poorly. There was a good chance that he would have shot first back there just out of reaction to his anger. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't have shot first back there, but if I was shot at. That would've ended very poorly on all sides."

The small mare looked off in the distance. Her eyes gave off hints of fear. Probably thinking about how tense that situation really was, before turning back to me. "You said you have a reputation. What kind?"

"Well," I tried to figure out how to start this story. "Starting as a trader, All I had was Romulus as a partner, like four jeeps, and a dozen specters. We got hit by raiders A LOT. We quickly got a nickname early on called the 'immortals.' We got that name because we, simply put, wouldn't die no matter how many bullets we got shot with. When in reality, the raiders were sloppy, I had a super tactical computer as a best friend, and wear im from, im a bit of a genius. In the first year starting out, raiders had hit us so many times that we had more bulletholes than actual bullets. Then Redeye happened."

"What do you mean redeye happened?" Littlepip asked.

"Redeye wasn't always what he is now, lil'pip," Calamity jutted in. "at first, he was one of the wanderers of the wasteland before accumulating what he has now."

"Bingo," I said, shooting Calamity a finger gun. "he was the first pony to join up with my Caravan and set me up with my first route. If there is anything that Redeye is, it's charismatic. He smoothed talked so many small settlements into trading with us that we boomed in power the following three years. Me and him shared more than a conversation about how things could change, but one things for sure, he was very interested in my tech. It's all he ever asked me about, but one of my internal policies is that I never share my tech with anyone other than me. Keeps dangerous things out of bad ponies hoofs. After a while, things started to hit the fan." My face deepened into one of regret and sadness.

"What happened?"

"Well, put simply, Redeye got ballsy and showed his other side. He tried hacking into a terminal we had in the Caravan to steal the tech rather than try and get it usually. Which lead to a whole mess of bullshit." My face went stern with anger as my hand gripped the seat.

Littlepip waited for me to continue before I looked at Calamity. "What have you heard about 'The Shattering'?"

"Well, I know it was when things between you and Redeye went to shit. But I don't got a lot of details on it. All I know it was when Redeye got a kickstart to his operations up in Fillydephlia, and you lost a chunk of your Caravan." he tried to explain, but he hasn't been outside of this part of Equestria a lot. So he didn't know much.

"Your not wrong, It was a time, roughly 2-3 months, id say, when Redeye shattered my Caravan and what it was into two groups, one of tech and the other of ponykind. It was a miniature war that took place up in Fillydelphia. He used my resources to kickstart his empire, like you said Calamity, and tried to leave me for dead. Kill us from the inside rather than the outside like the raiders did. But we didn't get the nickname 'Immortals' for nothing. We fought till we didn't have any more gas in us and then some. We eventually just had to leave and let Redeye get away, but I made sure personally that he didn't keep any of my tech. We went to Tempony tower for the first time shortly after our last altercation with Redeye. We were broken and barely kicking. DJpon3 was the one who put us back on our feet. He and Tempony tower gave us all we needed, and I made the most important deal ever with that place. It's our main trade stop and more. Since then, we've grown bigger and bigger to where were are today."

"Wow." Velvet said; she'd been listening in the whole time. The other two seemed to agree with her, and It was one hell of a story.

"Yeah, Im a stubborn bastard," I grunted as I returned to a front-facing position in my seat. "I refuse to die, and even time isn't gonna get me for a while."

"What do ya mean by that?" Calamity asked with a hint of suspicion.

"truth be told, Im relatively young compared to the rest of my kind...' I blanked on my age, surprisingly. I never really cared up until right now.

"forty-two, sir," Spyglass said, his deep robotic voice refreshing my mind. "forty-two by time at least, mentally, I'd say you're up in the hundreds. You've seen much more than most in such a short period."

"Thanks, spyglass; it makes me feel better that im still as young as ever," I groaned sarcastically.

"What do you mean young?! You're damn middle-aged!" Calamity nearly yelled. I laughed hard at his remark. I turned to face the group again, rubbing a tear out of my eye. Before realizing he was serious, the other two were heavily confused and concerned.

"Oh, right. You guys don't know human lifespans." I chuckled.

"How long do you yall live for to say that forty-two is young?" He asked, absolutely baffled.

"Well, Originally, we lived to a hundred if we were lucky and took care of ourselves. But after a big event that caused our lives to be extended far longer than most. We now live upwards of 500 years." Jaws... dropped. And it was fucking hilarious.

We arrived back at new Appaloosa shortly after. I hopped out and asked the trio to follow me. I told them I needed to give them something. I made my way to the entrance of new Appaloosa and could see through the main gate that there was still a lone jeep inside with three specters around it. On the small bed of the jeep were two flat rectangular crates I assumed were the Items I requested. I stood at the gates and whistled loudly, catching the specter's attention. I Waved my hand, signaling them to come over. They scrambled into the jeep and quickly made their way to the gate, stopping in front of me. The specter driving the jeep leaned out the driver's side, leveraging his metal body on the door with his robotic arm. "orders, sir?"

"Get the crate full of supplies open, and get that customers order out here as well." The specter gave a small salute as he and the other two muscled the flat crate half the size of a pony and laid it on the ground next to the jeep. One grabbed the lid and pried it open with its powerful arms, showing the strength of its robotic arms. Inside, the crate was divided into three sections. One was full of food and water, enough to last more than a few days. The second section had two of the distinct ministry of peace medical boxes stacked to the brim with medical gear. The third was a labeled bronze box with a note on it. I picked up the note and read it.

I hope you don't mind, sir, but I used my monthly freebie on young Calamity. I have talked with him on many occasions, and since he was our best customer since coming to this side of Equestria, besides disty doo of course, I wanted to throw a special deal in with his order of battle saddle parts. I manufactured a long-right equipable scope capable of up to 20x magnification. I figured it would be a kind gesture, at the least. He should know how to put it on. He is quite capable of firearm service and repair, so it should be no trouble.
Romulus.

"That old piece of hardware never ceases to make customers happy, does he," I whispered under my breath with a smirk. Turning back to the rest of the ponies. "right, I had my people scrounge up some supplies for yall to take with you wherever you're heading next. Since I have more stops to make with the Caravan, this will be where we part ways, for now at least." I waved a hand over the box of goods as I stepped to the side. "consider it payment for helping me out back at old Appaloosa and afterward. There's enough food, water, and medical to last you guys a while out there."

"Oh, we couldn't, your too kind," Velvet said, looking over the stockpile of goods inside the crate.

"What do you mean 'we' couldn't?" Calamity asked, trotting over and packing food and water into his saddlebags. "I never pass up free supplies, you might, but Id never miss out on free stuff."

"Yeah, because I sure as hell and ain't taking it with me even if you didn't want it. So take it please, I insist," I said, noticing Disty doo trot past with two specters in tow. Guess she chose those. And flashed her chalkboard at me. "I gotta pack a few things, be right back."

"Thank you, Riley, this helps a lot." Little pip said, walking over to me, looking up as I stood taller than her.

"Hey, it's no big deal. Some ponies out here say no good deed goes unpunished. But you do something for me. I always repay that kind of thing. If you ever need anything, just give me a call." I stopped and reached out my left arm, flipping open my wrist pad and offering the plug to her. The plug matched her pip bug. she quickly understood what I was offering, plugged it into my pad, and downloaded my tag. As a bonus, I gave her a direct message line to me. It seemed only fair that something that could tune into the radio could send basic messages.

"OH SWEET! my package is in here!" I heard Calamity yell as he opened the bronze box full of battle saddle parts, and some round cylindrical object wrapped in a note.

I bid farewell as I got the rest of the jeeps together and waited for Disty doo's return. I also took the liberty of ditching my dented and fucked up armor in favor of my usual set. Unlike the scout set I used to wear, this was much more comfortable and didn't have full plating. Instead, metal sheets of Element steel melded into cloth. Like a mix of a shirt and plating. Much more flexible and still able to stop low and some medium caliber rounds. Much more concussive resistant, and the helmet was way better overall. The scout helmet had two eye sockets that glowed blue. This one had a T shape on it that glowed blue. It had all the bells and whistles of the old one and more, such as a built-in radio, access to all the stuff in Romulus's hard drive, and direct contact to any specter I needed since I had memorized all their serial numbers. It had so much more but aren't needed to be mentioned right now as it would take all day.

She returned within the half hour with PACKED saddle bags. I had her and Silver bell ride with me in the lead jeep. I drove this time round and kicked on the tracker that had the position of the main part of the Caravan, and we were off.

The wind rushed over my head as we flew down the main dirt road. The small gage on the dash read forty M.P.H., we were making a great time. Silver bell had fallen asleep curled up in Disty's lap as she sat passenger side. Disty seemed happy looking down at the foal, but I could see something in her eyes that just didn't look right. Like there was something she wanted to know but simply hadn't asked yet. Another few minutes passed before I heard her fumble through her saddlebags and pulled out her chalkboard. I heard her scribbling away with the chalk before she slid it across the dash so I didn't have to take my eyes off the road.

"why was I the one you wanted to recruit so bad? Out of everyone else at new Appaloosa, why me?"

It was a question I wasn't expecting, yet I had multiple answers. "Well, I have numerous reasons. First off, you are one of the best sales-ponies I've ever seen. You've bartered more out of me than most of Equestria, so having you in our Caravan leading our trade with the locals alongside Romulus would be a significant improvement. You also always have a way of making people smile, including myself." I noticed a smirk on her as I continued. "that kind of positive energy is in short supply across the wasteland. I want to bring them that joy, but I'm not exactly in the same league as you. So why don't I just bring the joy to them literally."

She seemed content with those answers, but I could still feel her looking at me. Waiting for me to continue. She wrote on her chalkboard again and slid it to the same position. It had one word. "but?"

I sighed. "There are also some, personal reasons as well."

She cocked her head at me, that clearly caught her attention. She waved a hoof, insisting I go on.

I took one hand off the wheel and slowly lifted my helmet off, and placed it in the spot between our two seats. I looked over at her with the most sincere look I could muster. "You're one of the few living tethers to the good days, before the war."

Her eyes went wide and then softened. I could tell she too, was reminiscing. I turned my gaze back to the road as I continued. "There isn't a day goes by where I miss those times, those ponies. I had a good life, a peaceful one where I didn't need a gun or a knife on me at all times. A time when I was the guy you go to when your tools break, or you need me to fix a wagon wheel or something. I miss having my forge down in ponyville, and I was just that helpful guy that ponies could rely on." I, too, was reminiscing about the good old days.

"I miss my friends especially. They were the closest thing I had to a family back then. They all had their moments where they really came through for me in some way mentally." We both sat and just relived the good times from before the war. She and I were two of the few who knew those times and lived them. Even though those days were long gone, to me, they were still as fresh as ever. I did freeze myself in a cryogenic pod for a good 200 years, just a few weeks before the first bomb went off. So when it came to how long it felt vs. how long it had been. It was overwhelming. Even though I tried so hard to make sure those bombs didn't go off, to make sure Equestria didn't repeat what happened in my world.

"I really did try to stop it from turning out like this," I said after what felt like years. Disty turned to look at me again. "I tried so fucking hard..." I felt the anger rising within me. My grip tightened on the wheel as I continued. "I tried every avenue, every tactic, every strategy, to get both sides on the same page about that fucking war. And I got SO FUCKING CLOSE!" I gritted my teeth as I said that last bit. I punched the dash with my free hand, denting it. "BUT NO, they had to be so fucking stubborn and stuck up in their ways to not see what was going to happen until it was too late, ignorant bastards..."

Looking at Disty from the corner of my eye, I saw her giving the most heartfelt expression. At least, that's what I thought it was. I was thoroughly pissed at past events now, no longer reminiscing. So much death, the destruction of a world and everything in it. I had seen it all before, and I couldn't stop it. I was more angry than at myself for being so fucking incompetent than anything else.

"Uh, sir, I know it's not my place to second guess your decisions, but I did want to point out that you are pushing seventy miles." Spyglass's voice from the jeep's dash radio cut through my anger like an axe through old wood. I Checked the speedometer, and sure enough, I was damn near going seventy. I shoved my emotions into a dark corner of my mind as I eased on the brakes slowing down to a solid thirty. Letting the rest of the jeeps catch up, then returning to forty. I picked up the radio mic off the hook on the dash and held it to my mouth. "Sorry about that. I just had one of my memory flare-ups. Im good now."

I let the mic rest in my hand on my thigh as I awaited a response. "Understood, sir. We should be coming on the Caravan shortly."

"10-4 Spyglass." I hooked the mic back into place on the dash. Looking back over at the pegasus ghoul next to me. I never noticed that Silver bell was awake. I assumed I woke her up when I punched the dash. "sorry about that." Disty waved a hoof, telling me It was alright, but I didn't feel okay all the same.

We sat in silence for a while after that. I stared out the windshield at the road, overlooking the grey and bleak wasteland. I started to feel my eyes get heavy but didn't note it. My vision got more blurry as what felt like years crawled by. Until it just went black. Something hit me hard in the shoulder causing pain to shoot up my arm as the usually smooth road turned rough and extremely bumpy. My eyes shot open as I quickly saw that we were drifting off the road. I grabbed hold of the wheel with both hands and promptly moved the vehicle back onto the road.

"S.I.R.! what was that? Are you okay?" I heard Spyglass over the radio again.

I picked up the mic again, "IM FINE, just gimme a sec." I returned the mic to its spot and propped my knees against the wheel. Making sure it didn't move. I reached down to the cup holder, unscrewed my canteen, and doused my head in ice-cold water. My drowsiness fled me as my sensors shot awake at the cold embrace. I took a few gulps before returning it to its cup holder and rested my hands upon the wheel, water dripping from under my chin. I looked over at my passenger to make sure she was alright, which she was. Just looked slightly scared.

"Sorry again, I really need to sleep when we get back to the Caravan. I need it, and I know it. I still don't look forward to it." I heard chalk scribbling as a familiar chalkboard popped into view along the dash.

"Why not? Sleep is great!"

I chuckled. "you're not wrong. It used to be great."

"used to be?" I read on the chalkboard as Disty slid it back across the dash.

I sighed loudly. "it's more of a chore now to keep myself alive more than anything. I haven't had a good night's sleep in, twenty-ish years. The nightmares I have to make sleep something I dread. It's why I force myself to stay awake for up to three days at a time. Even though humans need a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep a day."

I looked over at Disty, who was both shocked and scribbling furiously. I put a hand on the chalkboard, stopping her.

"Don't worry. I am getting better." That was a lie. If anything, my mental state was going down the fucking toilet over the years. "I used not to be able to go to sleep willingly at all. Id go a week and crash and pass out for two or three days before repeating it. So yes, I am improving." Another lie. The only reason I could go to sleep by my will is if I took one of the pills that make me so tired I pass out. Thank you, Romulus.

We rounded the cusp of a small hill, and I saw the rest of the Caravan in all of its glory. Unlike most Caravans or convoys that travel in a line one behind the other at high speed. I preferred to have it as a mobile camp. Grouped up, moving slowly but at a decent pace. We had a system for organizing where each vehicle should go. Anything with a gun mounted on it stayed close to the edge with less important gear stashed within.
Along with more armed personnel, most of which were specters, some ponies insisted on standing guard. Some with battle saddles and sometimes a complete set of power armor.

We had more than a few sets since we did scavenge some old Ministry of Wartime technology buildings since other scavengers couldn't do it without getting killed. Too many traps, turrets, and the occasional sentry robot. We found some incomplete sets in the mid-testing phase, took them, finished them up, and boom. We got power armor. Depending on what area we traveled through, we would bust some out for the guard ponies just in case we met hellhounds or a fucking deathclaw.

As you move inward, you see much larger vehicles with large amounts of stored goods. Four, to be exact, the M.O.V. in the center of them, mimicking the number five side of a dice. Around those storage units were our more 'personnel' section. Where ponies and specters alike had mobile workshops, armor stations, chemistry stations, and all manner of crafting areas to make goods on the go. Unlike most traders who don't see the value in junk that you find most of the time in the wasteland. We repurpose it into other goods. I could see anyone other than us not buying some scrap metal, wood, flint, sulfur, all that shit you see everywhere out here. But to us? That can make bullets. Yes, my Caravan can turn junk into bullets. We can make more than just bullets, too. We make all kinds of shit out of garbage. Did you find some rusted lawnmower blades, Old cr123 batteries, and a busted motor? Good news! We can turn that into a flying sawblade of death! Just as an example, of course.

Among the workshops were our civilian transport, or as the ponies prefer, along with myself. Pony transport. Little mobile homes are towed by jeeps with more robust engines with bunks, kitchens, and bathtubs to keep everyone happy. Alongside those mobile homes were our medical specters with medical jeeps in tow. Painted with a red cross, both on the jeep and specter, and were much more sleek and friendly looking than most others, with much more freedom of movement than the stiff movement of the other ones. besides Romulus and Spyglass, of course. The jeep's rear beds were loaded with medical supplies, and some of the jeeps also had medical ponies. Being much less common in the wasteland meant they were essential to us. Certain ponies didn't want to be operated on by a specter. So those ponies who were medically trained were always treated more critically than others.

The same jeeps in my smaller group dotted the area around the edge of the large group. Most with more extensive beds extending out of the back with a large gun mounted atop a pole that could swivel 360 degrees manned by a specter. Other vehicles I called 'Vales' were less common but could still be seen about the Caravan as bulkier and fully enclosed. Much larger than the jeeps. Six doors on the side for personnel with a maximum capacity of six ponies or eight specters. We usually use them for extra storage since most ponies don't mind walking but just need short breaks here and there. The rear of the Vale would either have mounted bullet-proof lockers for quick access storage or would have a gun rack so if anyone was inside could hop out and grab a gun. The roof had a mounted twin-barrel heavy gun with armor panels extruding from the sides. This gun also swiveled 360 degrees but fired slowly with more power.

The four large storage vehicles sat on treads rather than wheels. They were too heavy all the time to use anything else anyway. Large open beds several meters long met with a large cockpit at the front where two specters sat in driver and passenger seats. The beds were packed with tied-down trade supplies. Such as food, water, medical, bullets, and not dirty clothes. You name it, and it's on one of those fucking things. We call them 'Mules' since they carry most of our shit. We had a fifth one in the rear of the Caravan, but the bed was much more expansive and was more of a social hub for the ponies to mingle and rest while on the go. I tried to make that area as comfortable for the ponies I had under my care as I could. I set up a bar and kitchen behind the cockpit of the thing where ponies could grab a drink or a bit to eat. Put up a few tables that were bolted down, so they didn't fall off when we went up inclines. Benches that were also bolted down. I just tried to make it nice. The ponies seemed to like it, at least. They called it the 'canteen,' which was a name that I enjoyed heavily.

The center and heart of the Caravan was the 'Mobile Operations Vehicle,' or M.O.V. for short. It was where Romulus and I planned our travels on the go for the Caravan and was the only Vechule with two stories and a roof you could walk on. It was the largest fucking thing in the Caravan. But It mainly was where I lived. Inside was fully furnished, had carpeting, and held numerous accounts of my past. I could count on my right hand alone how many ponies had been inside that fucker. Stocked with a kitchen, bathroom, and upstairs bedroom. And a fully working, metal smelting, gun making, fucking forge that sat on the back of the beast. It even had one of our few working bullet presses in there.

Since I lived there, it might seem like I put myself above everybody else. You'd be incorrect. I had that thing built and running before the Bombs even dropped, hell before the fucking war even. I used it as a mobile home as I traveled Equestria in my earlier days of arriving here. I even took it to the Crystal Empire when that blizzard was still there. Course, the Crystal Empire disappeared again when the war started, along with Cadence and shining armor. And the other ponies don't know I had this thing before the war. All I did was put the forge on the back of that big bitch and called it a day. Those big ass treads didn't aren't there to look pretty dammit! Granted, they were dirty as hell and weren't pleasing to the eye anyway. But still, things held all that weight like fucking champions.

I honked the jeep's horn as we Aproched the Caravan from the rear. Catching the attention of several guards, pony and specter alike. I picked up the mic once again.

"Romulus, you there?"

An enthusiastic and formal male voice. At first thought, you'd think it was an actual person, but one thing for sure, it wasn't.

"Ah! young master Riley! Welcome home, sir! I hear your horn bringing up the rear. The drivers should be opening the gap now."

As If on queue, the drivers of the vehicles on the rear of the Caravan opened up a gap so that the rest of the group and I could slip in. Slowing down to the whopping seven miles per hour, the Caravan usually traveled that slow when ponies and specters were walking. If not, we usually pushed twenty. Being grouped up like this makes it hard to move fast, but we get our routes done all the same.

I drove my jeep carefully through the Caravan as I kept talking to Romulus.

"Good to be back, buddy. Hey, we got a little over thirty used-to-be pony slaves that need the usual welcoming party. Think we could stop a second and get em situated before we keep moving?"

"Certainly, sir! We'll get them sorted out and be back on the road in a jiffy!"

I heard the loud boom of the main horn of the M.O.V. blaring out across the Caravan. Signaling the other Vechilves to hiss and stop. I followed suit and stopped next to the M.O.V. and hopped out. I looked back at the other jeeps in my company as ponies and Specters greeted the new arrivals with warm smiles, food, water, and medicine. Which they gratefully accepted.

"Ah, there's the hero of the day!" I heard Romulus from above call out. I looked up and saw the extremely advanced specter with bright blue eyes waving down at me from the M.O.V. roof before hopping a ladder and sliding down with great speed.

Romulus was more than another specter in the bunch. He was uplinked to every other specter, terminal, anything that was chipped in the Caravan he was connected to no matter what. When I said he ran everything, I meant everything. His model was more human-like besides his triangular head. His square blue eyes had little white dots in them with shutters that opened and closed. Giving the feel of real eyes. His body was the sleekest and most well curved out of all the specters. He also had full coverage from his internal components vs. other models that had shoulder or rear knee joints showing. On top of his head were two pointed rods that angeled acutely, moving and shifting like ears or radio antennae. Weirdly enough, he chose to wear clothes, I asked, and he said it just felt right. I never questioned it after that. He'd been with me since I found his A.I. chip stowed away among my personal belongings when I first got to Equestria. One last birthday present from dad, I suppose. He once served my kingdom back home, running a lot of manufacturing and being a service available to all the people. He was a living relic of my last LAST life. I didn't see him that way. He was the closest thing I had to a biological family. And I saw him as a brother.

He walked over, and I grabbed his hand as he stuck it out, pulling him in for a tight one-handed hug.

"Good to see you. You ancient piece of hardware!" I laughed as we broke the hug.

"Ahah, it's good to see you as well, you old ghost!" He joked, his head turning to gaze upon Disty Doo, who was getting out of the jeep as well. "Ah, and the young master finally managed to get the great Disty Doo to join us as well! It's a pleasure welcoming you aboard!" Romulus walked over and shook Disty's hoof, who gave him a warm smile at his remark.

"Now then," Romulus said, clapping his hands with a metallic clank. "We should get you properly Acquantied with the Caravan and its inner workings along with getting you your own place. But first," He turned to me. "I need to get Riley's full report from his scouting mission. If he needed to go radio silent got well over a week. It must have been for a good reason."

I raised a hand in protest, "As much as I'd want to give the report, everything is recorded on the scout armor helmet if you really need to know. Im tired and damn near crashed getting here cause I passed out behind the wheel. Im going to bed so you can get Disty all settled first."

Romulus was baffled. Even without a mouth, I could tell his mouth was open. "The young master wanting to go to sleep?! AND complaining about being tired?! It must be the dawning of an age!"

"Shut up, Romulus," I chuckled as I stepped up the small staircase to the door of the M.O.V. "Im going to bed. I'll talk to you more when I wake up."

"Farewell, young master! Sleep well!" I heard from Romulus as the door shut behind me. I didn't even turn on the light; I just sauntered through the dark, slowly stripping myself of armor as I moved up the spiral staircase in the corning of the M.O.V. I got to the second floor, which was hot. I kicked on the AC and stripped down to my underwear, and unceremoniously flopped into bed. I quickly downed some water and my sleeping pill before hitting the pillow, and was out cold.