I vaulted over a desk, overturning it with a solid shove just as a lightning blast went over my head and struck the wall behind me while I scowled and remembered why I hated brain-bots so much.

I looked at Littlepip and Bullet, who were using a few filing cabinets in the back as cover and I grimaced when I saw the german shepherd snarling and knew that Bullet hated the brain-bots just as much as I do and the ruins of Ironshod Firearms was crawling with them.

"You okay?" Littlepip whispered as I looked pissed and wanted to dish out some payback on those metallic bastards for nearly disintegrating me.

"I'm good," I replied while getting into a more favorable position with my back against the desk, and instinctively ducked as another lightning bolt flew over my head and struck the wall.

"Are those...actual brains inside those robots?" Littlepip wondered, sounding highly disturbed and I sent her a grim look.

"Yeah, they're called brain-bots and they were created during the war while actual pony brains were used to help them function, though their sanity is completely degraded now," I explained while making sure to keep my head down so that I don't get fried or disintegrated.

"Come on out, we only want to kill you for trespassing!" a brain-bot declared, proving my point as I popped out of cover and used two S.A.T.S-guided shots to target one of them at the bottom of the catwalk, the shots penetrating the cylinder body.

The brain-bot sputtered and finally died when a third shot shattered the glass casing and destroyed the brain keeping the robot functional, then I quickly got back into cover as a volley of lightning shot at my location and scorched the desk while Littlepip shot up out of cover and used her 44. to take out another before ducking back into cover so that she didn't get scorched.

"Surrender in the name of the Ministry of Technology, zebra scum!" a robotic voice growled, making me swear under my breath since that was a spider-bot and they were usually a pain in the ass to take care of because of their flamethrowers and plasma weaponry.

The spider-bot used said flamethrower against us, making me duck down while Littlepip and Bullet cowered as almost the entire room was engulfed in fire.

I knew that wouldn't be the only spider-bot that would show up so I had a little surprise for them as I went and took out a grenade, waiting for the spider-bot to quit using its flamethrower until it stopped scorching the area where Littlepip, Bullet, and I were at.

I pulled the pin and threw the grenade over the desk before ducking down and covering my head, prompting Littlepip to shield Bullet with her body as the grenade went off.

The explosion filled the room, though Littlepip and Bullet were still in cover behind the steaming filing cabinets while I was still behind the desk, which saved us from the shrapnel.

I peered over the desk and saw that a bit of the room was scorched with chairs and other objects in pieces, then I spotted the spider-bot as it was destroyed and saw the catwalk, which was sagging outside and I grimaced since that didn't look good.

Either way, we needed to get across it but the problem was that it might not be able to handle the combined weight of all three of us, then I had an idea as I crawled over to Littlepip and Bullet.

"Hey, you think you can carry Bullet across, Littlepip?" I asked as I sent her a hard expression, then she looked down at Bullet and appeared thoughtful for a little bit until she quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I think I can do that," Littlepip replied.

"Good, then I'll thin the rest out there with these," I said as I took out a couple of EMP grenades.

"What are those?" Littlepip inquired as she eyed the grenades curiously.

"EMP grenades, they'll fry those fuckers into next week," I answered while making it over to the window and made sure to keep my head down as I heard a few brain-bots down below.

I got the EMP grenades ready and primed them, then I dropped them down to where the brain-bots were at and the EMP grenades went off, frying most of them and disabling the robots.

I saw Littlepip had secured Bullet on her back and was using her magic to lift herself and the german shepherd across the catwalk, prompting me to unsling my rifle and I made sure to cover them by shooting at the remaining robots in single shots.

I took down a couple of brain-bots with well-placed shots to their casings that shattered and the brains got destroyed, only a stray brain-bot had shown up and fired rapidly.

I ducked down to avoid getting hit when a stray bolt struck the catwalk, the energy arcing all across the metal surface and I was relieved that Littlepip was hovering with Bullet on her back or they would've gotten fried by that.

I knew that I had to move since there was no telling when the catwalk would collapse and I would be separated from Littlepip and Bullet once that happened.

With that in mind, I left my cover and started to make my way across the catwalk as the metal groaned from my weight when Littlepip's magic failed, causing her and Bullet to fall onto the catwalk and the walkway shook and groaned loudly from the extra weight.

I grabbed onto the railing next to me as my heart started racing and I began sweating uneasily since it was only a matter of time before the catwalk collapsed.

I moved a little quicker so that I could catch up to Littlepip and Bullet, who were looking unsteady when I finally caught up to them and that's when I saw the brain-bot shooting at us.

"Don't run, we want to be your-" the brain-bot started to say, only I cut it off by pulling out the desert eagle mark 5 holstered on my tactical vest and firing a single shot.

The 50. AE round tore through most of its body like a knife through butter, destroying most of its innards through kinetic force alone, though the last bolt it fired had struck a large lamp on the ceiling.

The bulb had overloaded and exploded, causing the entire lamp to come crashing down into the catwalk behind us and I was alarmed to see the section being torn away with a loud shriek that only metal being torn apart could make.

"Run!" I shouted and that prompted all three of us to sprint down the catwalk as it started collapsing behind us.

Bullet had made it to the other side of the catwalk and waited for us when I made it to the other side as well just as the catwalk under Littlepip collapsed.

She threw herself forward and caught onto the last section, barely hanging on with her forelegs but she was slipping and screamed as she started falling off, only for me to throw myself forward and I caught her foreleg with my hand.

"Got you!" I growled and started pulling her up, getting her to safety and she let out gasping panicked breaths while she lay on the floor.

"Thanks..." Littlepip wheezed as she tried to catch her breath.

"Careful, it wouldn't do either of us any good if you're dead," I warned as I waited for Littlepip to catch her breath, my words making her let out a wheezing laugh until she managed to catch her breath and stood up when we heard something down at the factory floor.

"D-D-D-o-onnt ru-u-n littl-" a malfunctioning brain-bot sputtered while it was sparking, prompting Littlepip to kick the last of the catwalk loose and the metal pulverized the brain of the fallen bot, turning it to mush and Littlepip turned back to look at me with a small grin on her face.

"You know, that was oddly satisfying," Littlepip commented and I huffed before signaling that we need to keep moving until we continued forward.

***

I kicked open the door and scanned the room with my rifle, lowering it when I didn't see a living soul in the office and that appeared to have been the case for centuries.

Littlepip and Bullet followed me into the room with the latter going to sit down in a corner of the room while the former smiled at the chipped but still very warm orange paint and we both stared at the sign behind the desk that said 'Ironshod Firearms, how do you like them apples?'.

I rolled my eyes at the slogan since it had been made as a sort of inside joke based on the apple-bucking incident that AppleJack had completely worked herself to exhaustion, which resulted in Rainbow Dash being catapulted into the air, most of the town being poisoned by badly baked muffins, and a bunch of baby bunnies being scared into fleeing into town and eating most of the town's crops.

I grimaced since most of the human and pony residents were livid when that happened and if Applejack hadn't come to her senses, then there was a good chance that somebody might've pressed charges against her for reckless endangerment and I would've been forced to arrest my friend, which she wouldn't have been very happy about.

Still, I shook my head and focused on the present since this was no place to get distracted when I looked at the propaganda poster on the wall, scowling at the words 'better wiped than striped' and felt like tearing down something that had been used to spread hate and fear throughout the nation during the war.

"What's wrong?" Littlepip asked, and I sighed.

"Back during the war, posters like that one had been put up as a form of propaganda to encourage people and ponies to enlist so that they could supposedly do their part for their nation when in reality...it just spread hate and fear like cancer.

Everything you're seeing now, it's nothing more than a result of that hate and fear because those were the two main reasons why the world is an irradiated shithole now," I explained bitterly and Littlepip looked confused.

"You say as if you witnessed it during that time," Littlepip pointed out and I sent her an empty look.

"I did," I replied without any emotion on my face and Littlepip widened her eyes.

"That's impossible, you would have to be over 200 years old and you don't look a day over 52," Littlepip gasped and I scoffed.

"That thing I told you about how I was blasted by radiation? It not only gave me the ability to heal up from lethal injuries, but it also stopped my aging so you're looking at someone who was born before the war happened," I replied as I went to pick the lock that was on the wall safe.

"Holy Celestia, you must've seen a lot so I imagine you probably have a lot of interesting stories to tell," Littlepip said while she sounded impressed and I sent her a glare.

"As I told you before, I'm not interested in sharing my backstory with you so let's leave it at that," I said with my voice hard and stern, causing Littlepip to stop talking after that.

There was nothing but a tense silence as I continued to work on the wall safe and Littlepip went to check the computer, proceeding to hack it as she took out an access tool from her stable jumpsuit and plugged it into the terminal.

As for me, I managed to pick the lock on the safe and found pre-war bits, a copy of 'Equestrian Army today', finance papers, bubblegum, a spark battery, and a stealthbuck.

I collected what was useful and went over to a glass display case that showed a familiar specially made 44. Magnum revolver that had a scope at the top, a gray metallic barrel and cylinder, and a white ivory grip that had three apples emblazoned on it in the same pattern as Applejack's cutie mark.

My eyes misted over as I gazed at the revolver that was created to honor the memory of Big Macintosh, then I recalled the battle of shattered hoof ridge again and memories of me holding my dead friend in my arms made me tremble slightly until I heard Littlepip activating an audio recording of Applejack trying to contact Braeburn.

"Cousin Braeburn, I know we ain't talked in some time, but Josh had contacted me and informed me that the war effort's taking a twist for the scary and I know what he means by that, so I might not have the chance to see you again.

I want to mend fences...now, I ain't gonna muck this up with words since we all know how well that went last time. Instead, I'm sending ya Little Macintosh as a gift and as an apology, to show you I'm sincere so keep him safe for me, will ya?" Applejack spoke until the recording ended.

I felt emotional hearing her voice again as I remembered calling her during the near end of the war and letting her know about how the omega-level protocols had been activated and that the stables might need to be ready for use in the event the worst-case scenario happens, which it did.

I let out a quiet shakey sigh as the same old question ran through my mind again, such as how did it all go so wrong and why did it had to happen?

Unfortunately, I knew the answer and the thought of how fear and hatred were the cause of our own destruction made it all the more depressing but I shook my head and tried not to let those dark thoughts get the better of me again since I didn't want a repeat of last time.

I stared at the lock on the casing and could see that it looked complicated when it let out a click, and I was surprised that it had unlocked itself so I sent a questioning look at Littlepip, who appeared sheepish.

"There was a way to unlock the casing on this computer," Littlepip told me, then I sent her a frown but shook my head and went to take out the revolver with great care before holding it and the stealthbuck out at Littlepip.

"Here," I said suddenly as I held out the objects, then Littlepip used her magic to take them and she gazed down at them before sending me a puzzled look.

"That's a stealthbuck and it'll temporarily make you invisible so use it wisely since there are not a lot of them out here," I clarified and Littlepip nodded, putting the revolver in her holster that once held her now-destroyed magnum, and the stealthbuck into her saddlebags until I gazed at Little Macintosh that was in her holster.

"Take good care of it," I told her as I went to the elevator and pushed the button, only nothing happened and I scowled at that.

"Why do you say that?" Littlepip asked and I looked back at her with an unreadable expression.

"That gun was made with great care and given to a relative to reconnect with family...if there's one thing that's important out here, it's family," I replied as I opened the side panel to check what the problem is and replaced one of the batteries, causing the elevator to activate.

I went in the elevator, Bullet following me and he laid down right next to me as I could see that Littlepip was thinking about what I said to her until she shook her head to snap out of it and hurried into the elevator so that I wouldn't leave her behind until something seemed to occur to her.

"Macintosh? Wasn't that..." Littlepip trailed off and I sent her a bitter look.

"Yeah, that gun had been created to honor the memory of Big Macintosh...my friend," I replied and didn't elaborate further as the elevator started taking us down.

***

The three of us moved past the collapsed buildings near the factory as Littlepip apparently has abandoned her original goal of finding Velvet Remedy for the time being, though I didn't care all that much since I just go wherever the road takes me.

"So, what are the things that helped you survive out here when, well, the world went to shit?" Littlepip asked, kicking a rock down the cracked road we were walking on.

"Weapons and armor for one, and as for friends? Well, that's a rarity out here, especially when it was everyone and everypony for themselves after the world went to hell," I replied stoically as I kept scanning the area for any hostiles.

"Am I your friend?" Littlepip inquired and I sent her a look.

"Unlikely, I'd call you an acquaintance more than anything else but you can think whatever you want," I replied gruffly and Littlepip gasped in shock, stopping suddenly and that made me and Bullet stop as well.

"How can you say that after all we've been through?" Littlepip questioned in disbelief but I scoffed and turned around to look back at her.

"That was just a Tuesday afternoon for me, literally," I said after looking at the chronometer on my pipbuck and Littlepip pouted.

"Well, it's kind of hard to make friends when there doesn't seem to be anybody or anypony friendly around!" Littlepip retorted and I sent her a scowl.

"Any 'friends' I made out here either don't last long or try to fucking kill me so trust me, I'm doing you a favor," I snapped irritably before I continued walking down the road until I came across what used to be a playground.

I stared down at a foal's skeleton that was curled up on a warped merry-go-round, another that had three skates on its legs, and a human child's skeleton that was laying on its back and in a pose that told me its last few moments were in agony.

I simply kneeled in front of the skeletons and started mumbling to myself as I heard Littlepip and Bullet approaching me until I was done saying what was necessary and stood up.

"What did you say?" Littlepip asked in confusion and I sent her an empty look.

"Justice to the innocent, and peace to the fallen," I replied without any emotion in my voice.

I continued down the road before Littlepip could respond to my answer as Bullet caught up with me, then I heard the unicorn hurry after me before I could leave her behind and it was quiet between us for a little bit.

"So, is there anything left out here?" Littlepip asked suddenly as a sprite-bot passed us, only we ignored it while I looked at her.

"What, like settlements?" I questioned and Littlepip nodded, then I frowned as I thought about the many places I've been to for the past 200 years.

"Yeah, there are a few but they'll be far and in between while some will be prosperous, some will be hanging on their last legs, some would be able to hold off bombs, and as for others...it'll be too late," I replied and didn't say anything else after that.

As we kept walking, Littlepip soon trotted over to an old dusty sparkle cola vending machine that was shielded by a few buildings and took out a few pre-war bits to use them on the machine, only I gently moved her aside and slammed my hand against the side of the machine.

A bottle of sparkle cola fell out and I picked it up before holding it out to Littlepip, who took it with an impressed look and she opened it before drinking from it.

"Be sure to keep the bottle cap since it is still currency out here," I told her and Littlepip blinked at that until she nodded.

I removed my canteen from the pouch on my vest and took a sip from it, also pouring a bit onto my hand and letting Bullet lap up from it when I noticed that Littlepip started wandering off.

I put my canteen back in my pouch until Bullet and I followed her and I could see that she was now staring at an old torn propaganda Ministry of Morale poster that had Pinkie Pie's face on it, and I made a face at it since it was like Pinkie's eyes on the poster was watching our every move and the deeply faded bold words 'PINKIE PIE IS WATCHING YOU FOREVER' didn't help.

"A happy reminder from the Ministry of Morale...what's the Ministry of Morale?" Littlepip wondered after reading the poster and I frowned while I stared at the poster.

"Another well-meaning idea that was so much better on scroll," a monotone voice spoke up suddenly, startling Littlepip as she jumped and I quickly spun around to aim my rifle at whoever snuck up behind us when I saw a sprite-bot and realized who that was.

"Watcher," I greeted stoically, lowering my rifle and Littlepip appeared to relax slightly when she saw that I wasn't going to shoot the sprite-bot but she was still hyperventilating.

"Watcher?" Littlepip questioned and I looked at her.

"I've encountered him a few times so he's harmless," I said while returning my attention to Watcher.

"Yep, just a ghost in the machine," Watcher remarked and I sent him an unamused expression for the joke when Littlepip growled.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Littlepip shouted irritably.

"Oh, sorry," Watcher said apologetically, only Littlepip glared at the sprite-bot and continued trotting away until Watcher turned to look at me and I simply shook my head when the two of us and Bullet followed Littlepip.

"I see you have some armor..." Watcher trailed off hesitantly and I knew why since she looked like a raider, which is going to get her shot by someone if we don't find better armor to replace the one she has on.

"It's the only armor I could find for her back in Ponyville," I said while keeping an eye out for any threats, Watcher turning to look at me in acknowledgment before returning his attention to Littlepip.

"Maybe the reason you're having trouble finding your place is that you haven't discovered your virtue yet," Watcher told her suddenly, making me narrow my eyes and I scoffed.

"There's no virtue out here, only vice and that vice is survival," I said cynically, causing the sprite-bot to stop and look at me.

"That's a lot of bull, coming from you," Watcher shot back, causing rage to flare up in me and the sprite-bot was rewarded with my M9 in his lens for his comment.

"You don't know me, so don't you fucking go there because you have no idea what I'm capable of," I threatened coldly as the air became very tense with Littlepip and Bullet looking completely anxious from how quickly things have escalated.

"I've seen enough, and if you two are as alike as I think, then I know what hers is," Watcher told me as the sprite-bot nodded at Littlepip.

"What do you mean by our virtue?" Littlepip asked, apparently wanting to change the subject and I grudgingly lowered my M9 before holstering it.

"The greatest heroes of Equestria, ponies with lifelong bonds of unbreakable friendship and strength, were each known for exemplifying one of the greatest virtues of ponykind.

Kindness, honesty, laughter-" Watcher explained and was cut off.

"Laughter?" Littlepip questioned with a puzzled expression.

"Roll with me on this," Watcher reassured her while I remained quiet, thinking about my long-deceased friends and hoping that they were in a better place now.

"Generosity, loyalty, and magic. They didn't really know themselves or each other until one pony came to realize that her friends represented those virtues and together, they grew to live by them.

Now, I'm not saying those are the only virtues, they are just a...particularly important set so I'm just saying that perhaps if you learn to recognize the dominant virtue in your own heart, you will find yourself and you won't need anyone or anything else to tell you your place in the-" Watcher continued until his voice fizzled out, then old music began pouring out of the speakers and the sprite-bot started floating away.

"Great," Littlepip muttered, finishing her soda and tossing the bottle onto the ground before pocketing the cap but I still held a sour expression on my face.

"I don't trust him, he keeps trying to tell me to find my virtue whenever we encounter each other and is insistent about it so whatever his agenda is, I doubt it's anything good," I said gruffly as I started walking back down the road, Littlepip and Bullet following me.

"You think he might be setting us up or something?" Littlepip questioned curiously.

"If there's one thing I've learned out here, it's that strangers are never usually a good thing and those who would rather communicate behind a machine instead of face to face isn't someone that should be trusted, despite appearing harmless," I replied just as the music behind us cut off, replaced by a deep masculine voice full of charisma that sparked a sense of recognition and rage in me.

"Friends, ponies, humans, rejoice! Although the world about you is bleak, scarred, and poisoned by the war of honorless, thoughtless, inferior ponies and humans of the past, we do not have to live in the shadow of their greed and wickedness.

Together, we can raise Equestria back to its former beauty! Together, we can build a new kingdom where all live together in perfect unity!

It's already happening, my good ponies and humans. Already, the foundation for a new and wonderful age is being built. Yes, it's hard work, but don't we owe it to ourselves and to future generations of ponies and humans to be better?

I'm telling you right now, as your friend, as your leader, that we can, we must, and we wi-" the voice spoke when I suddenly pulled out my desert eagle and shot the sprite-bot, sending fried electronics out a large hole in its steel hide on its opposite side, then I holstered the magnum after that while letting out quiet heavy breathing.

"Why?" Littlepip asked in complete confusion and a little bit of surprise, then I looked at her fully and she shrank back from the pure rage and flaming hot anger in my eyes.

"Because the fucker who said those words stabbed me right in the goddamn back," I snarled menacingly and stormed off lividly, then LIttlepip and Bullet caught up to me after a bit of hesitation and we continued forward.

***

I took point, keeping my rifle ready while Bullet was bringing up the rear, the german shepherd on high alert and he would warn me and Littlepip if danger were nearby.

After I had calmed down, we had spotted plumes of smoke nearby and spent an hour heading down this path so despite having a run-in with radhogs where Littlepip had tested Little Macintosh, our small journey had been an uneventful one.

"By this point, the town guards should be covering us," I said while lowering my rifle, relaxing slightly as Littlepip sighed.

"Good, I don't like being on edge all the time," Littlepip remarked and I sent her a stoic frown.

"Better get used to it because out here, letting your guard down is a certified death sentence but one thing, let me go first and do the talking because looking like that is going to get you shot," I said as I gestured at the raider armor Littlepip had on, then I noticed the blood and quickly tensed up as Littlepip appeared to realize what I meant and looked at herself with a terrified expression.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a white-hot pain that erupted on the side of my head and the sound of a bullet that whizzed by, the grazing impact sending me into the ditch on the side of the path.

I was dazed and my vision was spinning as I heard the gunshots coming from above, my ears ringing so I couldn't hear much of what was going on as Bullet threw himself into the ditch I was in, though I was aware enough to know that Littlepip was shouting at someone and whoever it was is responding with a deep male voice that had a thick southern accent.

Bullet whimpered as he nudged my face with his snout as the bloody graze on the side of my head healed up and I grimaced as I went to sit up, clutching my pounding head as I saw who had attacked me and Littlepip.

The attacker was a male pegasus with rust-colored fur, orange mane and tail, and a black stetson as he had a battle saddle but that didn't matter since Littlepip looked like she got shot in her right hindleg and left shoulder.

She was definitely bleeding and she was struggling to stay upright while aiming Little Macintosh at the pegasus with her magic, though I noticed a nearby caravan as Littlepip was still shouting at the pegasus.

I noticed a young colt had left the caravan and was galloping over as Littlepip stumbled over to me and Bullet, just as my hearing cleared up as Littlepip collapsed with her gun skidding across the ground and her head slamming into the ground while falling unconscious, then the colt gasped loudly as his parents and the pegasus surrounded him.

"Calamity, what have you done?!" the colt yelled at the pegasus in shock as I picked up my rifle and stood up, causing Calamity to widen his eyes.

"The hell?! I shot you in the head so how are you still breathing?!" Calamity exclaimed in disbelief and I sent him a glare while quickly slinging my rifle, grabbing Little Macintosh that was nearby and stuffing it into the back of my pants.

After that, I headed over to Littlepip and picking her up before holding her in my arms, noting that she was slightly heavy but not enough to where I would have issues carrying her as I scowled at how she wasn't looking too good.

"That's not important, now you want to explain why the fuck you attacked us, asshole?! She might've been wearing the armor but she sure as shirt wasn't a raider and I looked nothing like one, dickhead!" I shouted lividly, causing the colt and his parents to flinch at my angry tone while Calamity winced.

"I thought she was a raider, didn't know she wasn't and I assumed you were working with the raiders or something," Calamity said uneasily and I scowled at him.

"We'll continue this later, now where's the nearest town? She's going to die of blood loss if we don't get her some help, right now," I stated urgently and Calamity quickly nodded.

"Y-Yeah, New Appleloosa isn't far from here so we'll take you there," Calamity said, sounding like he was still trying to figure out how I survived getting shot in the head.

I motioned my head in a gesture to lead the way and as we hurried to the caravan, I still kept my eye on Calamity with a look of suspicion and distrust since I wasn't going to lower my guard around him any time soon for what he did, even if it was caused by a misunderstanding but Littlepip's survival was a priority right now so I'll have to go with these strangers if I wanted to save her life.

With that in mind, we began to make our way to New Appleloosa as I stayed alert and kept my eye on these strangers for any signs of anything suspicious, Bullet looking wary while gazing at Littlepip with a whimper as we hurried to New Appleloosa to save Littlepip's life.

Author's Note

Hey guys, been a while since I was busy with other things but I'm back and posting this new chapter for you all to enjoy.

So, Josh and Littlepip met Calamity and it went pretty much the same as it did in the original Fallout Equestria story and while it is very risky going with a bunch of strangers after getting shot by one of them, Josh didn't really have much of a choice since Littlepip would die if she doesn't get medical attention.

I know what you're thinking, why doesn't Josh use the healing potion on her instead? He would've done that if he was thinking straight but he just got shot in the head so he's still affected by that, though he'll be fine later because of his healing factor.

Still, I know you guys are curious about the whole thing with Josh shooting that sprite-bot after hearing the voice of Red Eye and it appears that he might have history with the charismatic cyberpony, pretty bad history at that if his reaction says anything.

I know why Josh reacted the way he did but I'm not telling since I want to keep it a surprise for later and you guys won't be expecting it either once everything is revealed.

Well, that's all for now so let me know what you think and stay tuned.