Fallout Equestria: Unending Dawn

by BeanieBag

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 12733

Set before the original Fallout Equestria, Lolipop Splotch and her band of wasteland survivors must survive in the highly radiated wastelands.

Lolipop Splotch (Loli for short, most everypony calls her that) has lived her whole life in stable 12. When her attempt at writing a fanfiction puts her stable in uproar, she is forced out into the wastelands. There she must survive in a world where almost nowhere's safe, and ponies can be killed in a moment's notice. But beyond that, there lies an even greater mystery- Why so many ponies keep going missing, and what the strange markings around ghoul-covered lands mean.
What's found is even greater than she had originally thought.

(to be honest I'm absolute crap at writing summaries so please put up with me thank you)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-20 04:01:41 UTC

Prologue

Fallout Equestria: Unending Dawn

Chapter 0.

“This is a story all about how my life got flipped right upside down”- fresh prince of bel-air

My name is Lolipop Splotch, but most ponies call me Loli for short. I live in stable twelve, and lead a fairly average life for a stunted mare.  I’m the shortest full-grown pony in the stable- And this is actually sometimes useful- Being an art pony, it means I can get down low to the emptier places to paint on the walls. Not that there are really any empty places on the walls- The stable’s full of art ponies. In fact, it’s come to the point where it’s rare to find a pony in here who isn’t artistic in any way- Only several Pipbuck Technician ponies are like this, actually. The Overmare- the new one who took office after the old one was declared incompetent- has actually started to try and get ponies to get Pipbuck or technical cutie marks, having the options available and insisting they try those before moving on to the arts.

Now, see, this happened while I was still a blank-flank. Which, in retrospect, probably made me stay a blank-flank for much longer than I probably should have been. Some attributed my cutie mark Incapacity to my stunting- Oh, right, stunting. Didn’t address that. See when I was little, tiny, like hardly old enough to walk, the old Overmare let the population get so out of hand that there was this huge ass famine, which lead to a ton of ponies of my generation being stunted. It was solved after a while, though, maybe a year or so (I’m not sure how long as I’ve never been good with time) after the famine began, through some pretty lengthy papers and procedures that I’ve never read (or for that matter, wanted to read). I ended up being the most stunted, which lead to most the doctors feeling that I might be mentally stunted as well- And that I might not ever get my cutie mark.

Ok, ok, now where was I? God damn, I am shit with storytelling (maybe I should work on that…?). Oh, right, cutie mark. See, Due to the “Cutie Mark Persuasion” thing the Overmare put in place, all of the blank flanks were allowed to get their hooves on tech and medical do-dads and a ton of other flashing, blinking light-up things (I broke way too many of those, trust me) in the hopes of more “useful” cutie marks. Pipbucks were even ready to be messed with if the blank flanks didn’t get a cutie mark for the rest of the technical…stuff. Then, if after going through all that the pony is still a blank-flank, they’re finally allowed to try the more artistic things to do in the stable, working from chef to a painter. Usually most everypony gets their cutie mark before painter, but I, as one can plainly see by the crossed paintbrush and pencil cutie mark (with four green splotches around it, not like it matters though) adorning my flank, did not.

I did honestly try my best at everything, though. I broke a synthesizer when I tried to see if I were a music pony, so many god damn light bulbs when I tried to be a stagehand, I accidentally broke a pony’s leg (I swear to Celestia it was an accident) when I tried to be an acting pony, I spilled a giant vat of glaze and accidentally left the covering on the clay off when I tried to be a pottery pony… Not to mention I made several ponies sick with my attempt at cooking apple noodle soup.  Hell, I even tried to be a martial-arts pony. I took a whole year of classes, hoping it’d come to me along the way. Jeez, I even remember the instructor’s nagging voice and barking speeches like yesterday.

“In this class you’ll hopefully earn a Cutie mark. If not, then you’ll at least walk away with a sharp, quick thinking mind and a nice looking figure.” She had said, striking a pose to show off her, albeit older, nice looking frame and a cutie mark of a sword and a nun chuck crossing. “First rule about Martial Arts training- Do not remove weapons from the room or I swear, by the power of the Overmare, I will break into your room, sew you into your sheets and kick you until you tell me where the weapons are. Second rules, Always address me as ‘Master’. Not ‘teacher’, not ‘sensei’- I’m not a bucking ninja from your cartoons- Just ‘master’.” Her rules went on and on and I listened, letting them sink into my mind. I did eventually space off after rule ten, and only was brought out of my thoughts by my friend Slipheart poking me with her hoof, signaling that we were about to do something. It was she, might I add, who insisted I try taking the class; I found it funny how she left after a week.  We started training with just our hooves and legs, learning to fight unarmed (I was only good because I could get under the taller ponies to kick their stomachs, otherwise two hits and I was crying) and learning to think quickly. We moved to sticks after, and I took that up so well that after a sparring session, I had thought I got a cutie mark in the shape of an ugly looking bruise, all purple and green and red, but later I figured out pretty quickly that it was indeed just a bruise (very painful, might I add). We went on and on, most of the weapons the ‘Master’ had us training with I ended up not being good at; I kept getting hurt when I tried to use the nun chucks, or the throwing “stars” or even the Sai (what the fuck are those even- Like how are they intimidating; “Better watch out or I’ll poke some holes in ya!” see what I mean? Fucking lame). There were only two things in that entire class- not counting bare hooves or improvised weapons training- that I was good with, and those were the sticks and the training mini-sword-things. God I don’t even know the technical terms- Katana? Ninjato? The world will never know, I guess.  But still, after a year of taking that class I left, figuring that there was no way in hell I’d be getting a cutiemark for that, and figuring that I Should also probably stop endangering the others in the classes.

From there it was just accident after accident, until the overmare allowed me to paint a little on the wallpaper that was about to go up, to allow for more ponies to paint on the wall. I had to fight for the little edge I got, and even then I had to fight to keep other ponies from encroaching on my space, painting as best as I could all the while. What ended up happening is that in the mad rush to get back to painting space, most ponies would trip on me and spill some paint- most of which ended up  on me. I found out I had gotten my cutiemark after managing to scrub off the dried paint off my hide (a task easier said than done).

Now, um, I guess I should elaborate on the absence of a mother or father in what I’ve said- I never had one. No pony in the stable has a mother or a father, that they’re gone. The teachers tell us so. But sometimes, we’re allowed to see the old ponies on the bottom most floor, and they tell us stories of times when everypony had a parent. Now, um, I guess you’d be thinking “Well, shit, if nopony has a mom or a dad, how come there are baby ponies?” Well, I don’t know myself. We get sex-ed and all but… Well, no-pony is ever really doing it. The ones who do end up doin’ it and having a foal stop drinking from the cafeteria and taps and stuff cause the overmare gives them these cool-looking water bottles. Then they have the foal and I’m not sure anypony knows where those foals go.

So, uh… shit dude, what else… What else… Oh, um, I have a few friends in here. I say few because I got on the bad side of most ponies during my quest for my cutiemark. I have one friend- Shelly Mary- who draws the most fucked up shit I’ve ever seen…Then there’s  SlipHeart, the best doctor ever (and also pretty damn good with the pottery wheel), Instruc-, Er, Master Yung, the martial-arts instructor who I trained with for a year (we still talk and stuff, she’s pretty cool) and ChipTune, an earth-pony musician who makes the coolest 8-bit and 16-bit music without magic.  No, really, he is an earth pony and he makes this hella goo-

“Loli what the fuck are you doing?” A mare with a pen and paper on her flank interrupted Loli, looking at her flatly.

“I waaaaaas monolouging.” Loli said, looking at the screen in front of her that she had been typing away at.  There were several red squiggly lines on it, but she’d fix those later.

“That’s pitiful.” The mare shook her head and motioned for the other writing mares to come over. “Jesus, do you even know how to spell?”

“I can so spell, I-“

“It was rhetorical.” The pony rolled her orange eyes before backing up. “Loli I swear, I’ve never read a worse monologue in my life.”

“Oh come on I was just warming up.” Loli pouted, stretching her back and getting up from her sitting position on several books. “There’s not a lot of things for an art pony to do round here, ya’know.”

“Yes, true, but writing isn’t for illiterate ponies, such as yourself.”  The mare spoke in an eloquent manner, looking down- literally and figuratively- at her. “You’d best leave this to the pros.” And with a swish of her tail she was off.

“I didn’t even ask you!” Loli called, glaring at the mare before returning her gaze to the screen. “Jackass… I’ll fuckin’ show you I can write…” she muttered under her breath as she deleted what she had been typing and started anew. “Got a damn good idea too… PotterMare fanfic. Aww yiss.” She shook her mane over to a side before she began to type.

“My name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and I have a long ebony black mane and tail (that's how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips- With my mane reaching my knee, my tail reaching to my hock and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee…”

Yes, good.

Footnote: Level up

No perks gained, However Trait acquired:

Short Stack: At the price of not being able to carry much, you're just a little more agile. You can also fit in small places. (To be exact, 25 lbs + 15x Strength points)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

                 “That was an Abomination!” There was a loud cry among the ponies in stable 12; Loli could hear it through her wall. She grimaced; it was her fan-fiction that had set them off. It had leaked to the other ponies by accident before she could destroy the horror that was her attempt at writing. She could hear the ponies who had read it yelling in outrage, stomping their hooves in disgust and she imagined that the writer’s clique was laughing at her attempts. There was a crash outside of her door and she quickly locked it, backing up to the corner of the room and hoping there wouldn’t be a riot.

She waited like that for an hour and a half, until her door was unlocked by the Overmare, and the door opened. “Lolipop Splotch, Get out here and explain this to me,” she said, her placid voice tinted by the outrage of the rest. With a nervous swallow, Loli walked to the door nervously, meeting the Overmare and her guards. “We had to prevent the stable from rioting again, Lolipop. Now, did you write this?” she asked, her magic lowering the copy of the fan fiction to Loli’s face.

               “…Yes, But let me explain,” she started, looking over the paper at the older mare. “It was an accident-”

               “That almost caused the stable to riot. This is the fifth time, Ms. Splotch, that you’ve almost caused a riot. First when you broke the synthesizer, then when you ruined the lights… You spilled all the glaze, ruined all the clay, and now there’s this horrible stain on everyone’s memory now that has ruined the most accomplished series of books to exist. You’re too much of a hazard to keep in here; Everypony wants your heart on a spit…” The mare sighed, shaking her head. “Meet me in my office in half an hour. Bring the clothes on your back, and your art supplies. My guards will escort you, so you have no excuse to not be on time.” With a sigh she turned and left, several guards standing by the door and shutting it after she left.

                 Loli stood there, staring at the door as she felt all her blood fall to her hooves. Biting her lip she sat on her bed, staring at the floor as she let what had happened sink in. The Overmare knew what she was doing, Right? Maybe, maybe there was a way to be sent to another stable? Or, maybe she was going to be in confinement…. Or maybe she could be killed. She shook her head; she couldn’t think of that. If she did it would be downhill from there. She felt like she was going to cry, but she forced herself to ignore the feeling. Until she knew what was going to happen, she would not cry. Though she felt her eyes start to water she got up and began to busy herself gathering up her supplies; she filled her saddlebags with her paints, brushes and pencils; two books, because the rest in her room were borrowed. That burned some time.

                       With a sigh she took some paper and wrote two notes; one to apologize for the fan-fic and one to say who the books belonged to. With little effort she lifted the saddlebags onto her when it was time to go, and strained a little as she adjusted to the weight of them. The guards knocked on the door and opened it, and Loli walked rather slowly behind them. They took her through the pink and blue halls, she looked at them quietly as she walked, and feeling one of their hooves nudge her in the rump. She sighed and hurried up, though it was admittedly hard with her books on her back. As they passed the center commons, the ponies eyes her with contempt; they were still visibly pissed off and would’ve probably harass Loli if the guards weren’t there.  She hurried along, and as soon as she made it into the Overmare’s office, she let out a small sigh of relief.

                 “Well, Ms. Splotch, I’ve consulted the book of protocol,” She said, lifting her head up from the book that was lying on her desk. “For your own good, you must go into solitary confinement. I will tell no-one but my most trusted ponies where you’re at. But I’m not entirely sure it will work; I’m still new to the job.” She rolled her eyes and got off of her chair, going to Loli gracefully and removing Loli’s uniform with her magic. “Lolipop Splotch, you are to be sent out of Stable twelve’s main living quarters and live in a solitary room. You may keep your belongings but for lack of available supplies, your uniform and all food that I know you’ve stashed in your room must stay here.” The mare had a stoic look on her face as Loli looked up to her, wide-eyed at what was going on. “Escort her out, guards.”

                 “But- Wait! I was on my way to put it in the recycler, but it fell out!” Loli cried, looking terrified at the thought of leaving.

                 “I know that may be the case, but if you stay here, I fear of what the other ponies will do to you. It’ll be safer to be alone right now, I believe.” The overmare said, nodding at the guards as they started to push Loli in the direction of the stable opening. “So long Loli and best of luck. Hopefully you may come back soon.” She nodded at Loli as the little yellow mare looked back, dumbfounded by what had just happened. The sheer strength of the guards was enough to push her out of the door, until she finally was able to walk herself. She looked down, her expression and mood dropping considerably.

                  “Could you tell them I’m sorry? That I meant for it to go into the garbage?” she asked one of the guards, to which she was met with a rolling of eyes and a huff; she took it as a ‘maybe’.

                                                                                 - - - - - == == - - - - -

                     It was a strange trek through the stable, her last one. She had gone past places that were bare of the happy and cheerfully coloured wallpaper, paintings and tiling that she and her stablemates had put up, to where it was dull and grey again, up to the large metal hatch that served as the one exit and entrance. “This doesn’t… Look like a solitary confinement room,” she said, before she was pushed into the room that was just in front of the door and the door locked behind her.

                 “Just go, it’s as solitary as solitary confinement can get,” one of the guards said through a microphone, her voice coming out of a small speaker as the rest of them began to open the contraption just enough for Loli to leave. “…Tell the overmare I’m sorry, please…” With a sad and longing look back she stepped outside, and by the time she was all out, the door was shut tight again. She looked to it with watering eyes, and for that moment, she allowed tears to fall softly.

                 Soon she wiped them away and looked around, wide-eyed at the desolate, vast, dark wasteland around her. It smelled different from the stable, a sort of dusty clear smell, and was definitely colder too. Her eyes finally trailed up, and she sat down as she craned her neck to stare at the sky. It was grey and dark, like if the lights in the stable were dimmed. It was so high; she shook her head and stood up, deciding to not keep thinking about it (as it would be pointless to go on like that).

                 The silence was deafening; she was so used to there being music and chattering of ponies talking through the walls, that she felt very isolated. It was if she could hear a pin-drop from miles away. There were few trees around, but from what she had learned she assumed that there was water by them usually, so she started to it.

                Not even fifty paces from the stable entrance Loli saw six red dots appear on her Pipbuck's compass. Strange, I've only ever seen amber dots. But red? She thought as she turned to look across the wasteland and saw six ponies cantering up to her. She was frightened by their appearance, as if they hadn't showered for weeks. She started to run away, but under the weight of her bag and how unused she was to going faster than a slow trot; she tripped, to be met with a grimy hoof on her back, pinning her down.

                “Where’re ya going, Pretty Filly? Ain’t no-pony gonna hurt ya…” the grimy baby-shit green pony hissed, lowering his face to meet Loli eye-to-eye at an uncomfortably close distance. “Unless this is your first time…” he grinned darkly as he patted Loli’s flank, causing the young mare to shutter.

                “Get off of me, and if you’re implying what I think you’re implying then go fuck somepony else. I wouldn’t give you a Hoofjob, even if you forced me!” Loli replied, trying to get the pony’s hoof off of her. The pony laughed, lifting his head and turning to grab a strange neck-shackle from his back, revealing that one of his eyes was covered by puss-filled growths, which seemed to be leaking down his face. She shuttered at the sight of it.

                “This will only take a second-” He started to lower the strange item to Loli. She knew it wasn’t good; whenever somepony said that, it often meant it wouldn’t be pleasant. She thought quickly and her eye darted to a pencil that had fallen out of her bag, so in a moment of desperation she flung it with all her magic’s might into the pony’s covered eye, causing a painful shriek to emanate from him and the metal shackle to fall to the ground. It bought Loli enough time to get up and flee, but when she looked behind her she saw more ponies like the one who’d just gotten his eye popped.

                  Looking around franticly for shelter, she spied out in the distance something that looked like a house; recognizing it by the shape and how she’d seen other art ponies paint such things and call them houses. She galloped off to it, quicker than she’d normally go due to the horrible ponies behind her and the mysterious water she remembered from the oldest stable paintings beginning to fall from above. As she got closer and closer, it looked shittier and shittier, until she was just at the door and could smell the wood rotting. Oh god, please, please let somepony be in there that can help! She thought as she opened the door with her magic and went in quickly, not paying attention to her Pipbuck's compass.

               She was met with a hard thwack of the end of an ax to her neck and a large pony-shaped being pushing her to the wall no sooner than once she stepped inside. “Who are you?!” a scratchy, deep voice growled, causing Loli to choke on the ax pressed tightly to her neck and the smell of everything, especially the being’s breath. It was almost as bad as the other pony’s.

               “L-Loli….” She coughed as her legs struggled to reach for the floor, ending up just dangling. “From stable… twelve-” she choked, trying to push the ax far enough from her neck so she could breathe, before remembering she had magic. She fought the magic holding the ax to her neck, pushing it back just enough so she could speak and touch the floor. “I don’t mean any harm, I just got out kicked out of the main stable today and these gross ponies are trying to put this thing around my neck-”  The strange pony dropped the ax, laying its end on the floor softly, and it- he, upon a glance down south, backed up. “Please, please help me!” She looked up at the taller pony with her fear apparent on her face, starting to tremble with fright at his appearance. He looked like some dark painting that she’d seen once, and with everything going on, it didn’t help one bit.

             “Definitely not a raider…” The strange unicorn looked back with his one eye to the door that was left open, sighing. “You stay here.” he muttered, backing up and dragging his ax beside him with his magic as he left to meet the group that had been chasing after Loli. The large unicorn snorted in disgust at them and just as Loli inched to the doorway to watch, he swung his ax rather quickly for its size and lobed off the head of the pony with the pencil in his eye.

              “God damn slavers…” he muttered under his breath, swinging again and again, striking down pony after pony, the blood falling like rain and staining the ground. Some of the slavers fired with low caliber pistols but only grazing his thick leather armor. One very foolish earth pony charged straight at him, holding a machete in its teeth. With a sickening noise the large unicorn split the slaver in two, the halves of it falling to the ground beside him. He glared at the one remaining slaver and swung; breaking off the slaver's horn with the blunt end of his ax in a shower of blood. The poor wretch was too shocked and horrified to notice the blade of the ax swinging back at him. Lodged into the slaver's neck, the large unicorn twisted his ax, and with a disgusting pop he finished the now earth pony.

          With a shaking of his head, he flicked the blood off of his ax and shook off most of the blood that had landed on him before he went back inside, shutting the door behind him. By this time, Loli had retreated to the corner of the dank house, shivering with fright and looking more upset than ever. Wow overmare, this is soooo more safe than just staying in my room, she thought, keeping her limbs close to her as she watched the unicorn go to some sort of makeshift bed and sit on it, who in turn watched her with his one eye.

           The shelter seemed to be more of a shed than a house. It looked and smelled very old from the rotting wooden plank floorboards. The walls had been patched by broken pieces of plywood with one single window on one side of the building next to Loli; and the roof seemed to be made of bent and rusted corrugated sheet metal. The objects inside looked even worse than the building itself. There was a rotting, broken dresser in the corner completely missing its mirror and drawers. In another corner was the unicorn’s pitiful hay bed. All this only staying lit by one single lantern nailed to a wall. It looked like somepony had cared once, a long, long time ago.

             Eventually Loli managed to sit up enough to peek through the old, cracked window to see that the mysterious rain sky-water. Despite the… Unicorn’s appearance and how he had pinned her to the wall, he did kill off the scary ponies that were following her. And now it was raining- and with rain came lightning, or so her painter’s logic inferred. “Do you…mind if I stay here….Just until it stops raining?” she asked, her voice small and scared.

               “Well, you’re not a raider... Or a Zebra...And it seems you’re not a slaver, so do whatever. Just don’t make a move for my ax” The unicorn warned, laying down and keeping his gaze on the little yellow unicorn sitting adjacent from him. Loli wasn’t any more comforted, in fact she was still quite thoroughly fearful, but at least she wasn’t sad.  Time seemed to tick by slowly, and eventually the larger unicorn’s gaze left Loli, going to his ax as he pulled it in front of him and inspected it.

                                                                             - - - - - == == - - - - -

                             Minutes seemed like hours, and eventually, due to his restlessness, the stallion opened an eye and looked back to Loli, who was still upright and stiff. “So… What’s in that bag?” he asked, attempting to make small talk.

            “… The few things I was allowed to bring with me…” Loli replied after some hesitation, her voice small as she lifted it off of her back and laid it in front of her. Everything she’d packed earlier.  “Some paints, brushes…pencils and books.” She put everything back but a book; she felt a small bit more at ease with it in reach. “So…What…Are you?” she asked, hoping to not offend.

           “A pony, of course. Can’t you see?” he replied, looking skeptically at her, though his question about the slaver with a pencil in its eye was answered.

             “…Well… You’re missing an ear… and you have an eye patch… and you look all skinned…. Maybe the better term would be what happened to you?” Loli replied, scratching above her pipbuck gingerly with her hoof.

              “Radiation exposure. I’m a Ghoul; that means my skin doesn’t like to grow back when it’s blown off with a shotgun. Not something they teach in stables I assume.” The one-eyed unicorn shrugged it off, like it was nothing. Loli, being desensitized to the common depiction of ghouls as frightful things, tilted her head softly, curiously. “Also, I do have two ears; it’s just that this one was also mostly torn off.” He twitched the small nub of an ear to point it out, rolling his eye as Loli watched.

                        “Does it hurt?”

                         “Initially, a bit. Now I can’t feel it a lot…”

                 “Can I poke it?” The stallion lifted his head and arched a brow, looking at the small mare as if she were nuts.

                  “No! It’s my raw muscle you’d be poking.” He glared at her as she got up and walked quietly over to him, lowering her head and looking at his skinless patches curiously.

                  “What’s under the eye patch?” she asked, her bright green orbs looking at it, trying to imagine what could be underneath. “Is it all swollen and puss-filled like that one pony’s?”

                 “No, it’s just an empty socket.”   He sighed, lifting it up with his magic so Loli could see.

                  “That is so weird.” She said, looking at it with gross fascination. It looked nothing like the paintings and drawings of eyeless ponies; it was much cleaner and less shiny. “And, um, thank you for helping me. That was really nice…”

                  “You can repay me by not poking me and by leaving my condition unmentioned.” He said, putting his head down with a huff. He was getting bothered by the mare; but at least she wasn’t bitching about him not being normal.

                  “Oh… Alright.” Loli said, sitting down in front of him, scooting herself back so she could look him in the eye from a nice distance. “So, um, I’m getting the feeling that this isn’t solitary confinement….”

                  “No shit, Sherlock. You’re in what you stable ponies call Equestria, or well, what used to be Equestria...”  Loli blinked, looking up in thought.

                   “God fucking damn it; I even pissed off the security ponies.”  She muttered, sighing before looking back to the unicorn’s eye. “Well, can you tell me about stuff?”

                     “What stuff?”

                     “Oh I don’t know; like who just tried to kill me and other dangers…?”

                     “Raiders have piss yellow eyes and will try to eat your soft stable-pony flesh, slavers you’ve already encountered, and will end up selling you to be a sex slave until you die of some disease, or to be a workhorse until you lose your strength and have no more use, and Zebras are the scum of the land and should be avoided if not killed.” He muttered, looking bored.

                      “Oooh...” she said, before looking at his cutie-mark, then at his ax. “Why don’t your cutie mark and your ax match?”

                     “Because I lost my ax when my team died.” He frowned, thinking back to that day. “Now, listen… Lola?”

                     “Loli. Or Pop. Or Lolipop, Splotch, or LoSplo if you prefer.”  Loli rattled off her list of nicknames nonchalantly.

                    “Loli. It’s late, and it’s raining, so just go over there and leave me alone to sleep.” He grumbled, getting a nod from the small mare as she got up and went back to her corner, huddling up as close to the wall as she could. She fiddled with her pipbuck for a little, cataloging her items; apparently she only had eight pencils, and two brushes along with her paints and two books. With a yawn she laid her head on her hooves, her eyes shutting and with the sound of the rain, eventually managing to doze off for a while.

                                                                     - - - - - == == - - - - -

                        It was the ghoul unicorn who awoke first, getting up and stretching his back and legs with a quiet grumble. His eye fell onto the little pony that was asleep in the corner, and he sat down, thinking about what to do about her. She didn't fight, she was from a stable, and she had pretty much nothing to offer that he’d seen. She did, however, have a pipbuck and a penchant for talking, so perhaps he could take her to a town and ditch her there. He was also missing his axe, so if she couldn't get it, perhaps she could talk someone else into getting it for them. So he sat and waited for her to wake, deciding to sharpen and take care of his ax with the free time.

                      She woke up some time later, long after ax-care got boring, and she looked around the hobble with a melancholy expression, getting up with a stretch and levitating her book into her saddle bag. She felt a small morning pang of hunger, but she could wait. “I have a proposition for you...” The stallion said as he sat down what he was doing and stood up, approaching the stunted Loli. “...You help me get my ax back, and I’ll provide protection for you.” Loli looked up at him, then down and thought for a while, before shaking her head.

                       “Sorry, Mister tall-ghoul-unicorn, but I need to find a way back into a stable. I don’t think I’ll take you up on that offer, but thanks,” she nodded and started to the door, opening it and trying to not look at the corpses. “So long,” she said, starting off with her eyes on the horizon. It was brighter now than it was earlier but that depressing, grey puff still loomed over her head. Once she was twenty steps, she noticed a hulking terror not too far away and pulled a one-eighty, going back inside with a pleasant “Nope” plastered on her face. “On second thought, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” She said, tilting her head up at the smirking unicorn. “But I guess that means I’m gonna need to know your name.”

Footnote:  level up

Lolipop Splotch: LVL 2. Long-Term Memory: Skill magazines last for 3 times original length. It is also easier to recall any previous memory.

“Ghoul Unicorn”: LVL 2. Butcher: In combat, you do 75% more critical damage against animals and mutated animals. Note: Rad Foal perk is automatically obtained due to ghoul physiology. +5 HP per second every 100 rads accumulated and 100% negative radiation effects resistance.

Chapter 2

“That, Loli, Is a Manticore.”

The ghoul introduced himself as Broken Glass, and not too late after that he and Loli started out, With Loli trying her best to ignore the corpses on the ground and the endless mass of clouds above her, At least it's pleasantly brighter out here than it was earlier. “Hey, do you want your pencil back…?” Glass asked, glancing over to the raider’s head with a pencil in it.

“Nope. I am totally ignoring the fact there are any signs of a fight nearby, so if there is a pencil nearby, it would be covered in what I’m trying to ignore, so despite how I love them so, It should stay.”  Loli said, looking up to Glass from under her now messy and tangled blue mane.

The daytime in the wasteland proved a much better time to observe the geography. They were on the top of a vast muddy hill with no sign of life around them (except the Manticore which seemed to be making its way away apparently not noticing the pair of unicorns). The farthest she could see was very light fog blocking any visual sight outside the radius of a few miles. Supposedly the town was north, down the hill across the wet wasteland.

“Well you’re not gonna get by for long like that…And what happened to you gushing over my missing eye being cool?” Glass replied as he looted the corpses, finding a small amount of food along with the pistols and machete, Gently levitating the food into his right saddlebag.

“Your missing eye isn't fresh. The carnage here is- oh shit, I’ve acknowledged it… But anyways, I can handle not-fresh gore because in my stable I was friends with a pony who drew stuff like that constantly. But she never painted anything… that could be described as recent, if it makes sense.”

“It doesn't, and honestly I don't really care to know. Now help me loot. Maybe we can see if there’s any armor on these guys that can be salvaged and not too gross for you to wear, maybe some bottle caps.” Glass smirked as he picked up the severed horn from the unicorn, putting it in his left saddlebag, hoping to perhaps trade it for something worthwhile.

“Bottle caps?”

“Yeah, the currency around here, ridiculous right? Now, do you want to have the machete or am I pawning this off as soon as possible? ‘Cause I still don't trust you enough to handle a pistol.” He placed the pistols into his left saddlebag and held up the bloodied blade; it would be something, at least, for the inexperienced Loli to wield without being able to fuck up too badly.

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard…And isn’t it wrong to steal from the dead…?” Loli sighed, looking to where Glass had put the severed horn and wincing.

“Look, now I've never been in a stable, but from what I’ve heard they recycle everything. So, to be technical, your pipbuck-Am I right on the name or did I hear about it wrong- belonged to some dead pony before you, as well as everything you own.” Glass sighed; muttering “Typical Stable Pony” under his breath as Loli looked to the weapon in question, mulling it over.

“Good point, but I’m not responsible if I cut some of your mane by accident.” Loli sighed, putting the thing in her saddlebags so it was easily accessible.  “And I’m not gonna wear whatever they’re wearing; It’s covered in blood and from how the one pony smelt, shit.”

“Fine then, suit yourself, but when you get hurt I am going to laugh at you for not taking what you could get.” Glass muttered, putting the small amount of food into the saddlebag that didn’t have the machete in it.  He started to walk, his ax dragging behind him lazily. Loli followed after him, doing a half-trot to keep up with his walk.

- - - - == == - - - - -

“So, why are you so short? Are you a foal or something?” Glass finally asked, hoping to get Loli’s annoying humming to stop. She’d been doing that since they started walking.

“I’m a stunted mare, thank you.” Loli said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Glass, tongue in cheek in un-amused fashion after breaking from her humming. “There was a food-shortage when I was smaller, and so we had to survive on what we had left over. As a result, lots of ponies from my generation are stunted, but I am pretty sure I am the most stunted.” She sighed as she thought of home; it wasn’t the best, or the nicest place, but she missed it. It smelled better than this place, and there would be no way anyone could go as long without a bath as Glass seemed to in her opinion. “Why are you so stenchy?”She asked, hoping to press a button in payback.

“What? I’m not…” Glass lowered his head to sniff himself, before looking off. “Ok, I’m not that smelly. Granted, I am covered in blood, and blood doesn’t smell good, so if I weren’t covered in it then I wouldn’t smell.” He rolled his eye, before Loli sopped and stared into the distance.

“Glass, There’s a thingy up ahead.” She said, looking up at him curiously. “It doesn’t look like a pony… I think it’s floating, actually. And it’s red.” She said.

“That’s a Bloatsprite. Good eating, if I do say so.” Glass smirked, waiting for Loli to catch up before going back on his way. “You stand back while I deal with it, they like to sting little stable ponies like you.” Loli frowned at the thought of it, shuttering with dread.

“Thank god it’s not close then…” She murmured, keeping close to Glass, growing bored of the dullness around her already.

Time passed and eventually Glass gave the cue to stay, and watching her E.F.S, Loli sat, looking up eventually to watch Glass deal with the thing, looking quickly down to her radar, only spying the Bloatsprite a moment before it disappeared, followed by a call from Glass. She got up and trotted over, looking at the strange creature, about to lean down and look closer until she noticed her radiation detector clicking. Backing up she looked at it and shook her head, keeping behind Glass. “It’s in the yellow; that is not so-called ‘good eating’.” She said, making a disgusted face as Glass started to cut some meat off of the corpse, levitating the meat close to Loli’s saddlebags. “Ah, nuh-huh, that’s not going in my bag. You carry that yourself.” She said, hopping back and shaking her head. “It will make me super freakin’ sick.”

“Typical stable pony,” Glass groaned quietly, putting the meat in his right saddlebag to cook later. “And I happen to eat these all the time. I even went a whole year eating just these guys and I’m fine.”

“You’re a Ghoul.”

“Ssh, I’m still alive aren’t I?” Glass rolled his eyes and sighed, going back on his way, Loli following after, keeping a closer eye on her radiation detector.

“Yeah but you’re missing half your face.”

“That was a shotgun, not radiation. Radiation just made most of my hide hairless and rotting, most notably.” Glass’s mangled ears flicked back with his growing agitation with Loli, though the little mare’s ears were flicked back for a different reason entirely; she thought she heard something behind her. Glancing back quickly she dismissed the thought, though she couldn’t shake the feeling.

- - - - == == - - - - -

“Glaaaaaaaaaaassssss, I don’t want to walk anymore. My hooves hurt and so do my legs. Will you please carry me?” Loli whined, trying to keep up with the taller pony.

“No. I’d only carry you if you were utterly drunk with no hopes of sobering up anytime soon, or if you broke your leg” he replied, looking down at the tired unicorn.

“What’s drunk?” Loli asked, causing glass to face-hoof and make a little whine of exasperation himself, muttering something before answering.

“You’ll know when you experience it.”

- - - - == == - - - - -

“Here we are, New Appleoosa.”  Glass said, looking at the tiny excuse for a town, Loli gazing at the houses curiously. “I’ll wait here whi-“

“Nope, you’re going in with me.” Loli said, frowning up at Glass foalishly.

“What? No,”

“Nope, I’m not gonna let you stay out here. What if I get attacked?”

“You won’t.”

“It could happen. Out of nowhere, boom, Slavers. What would I do then? So, you’re coming with me. You even have the bottlecaps.” Loli raised her eyebrows and nudged him softly, causing him to groan quietly.

“Well I’m not going to buy you anything,”

“I don’t care, I could see about exchanging my services for goods.” Loli said, levitating a paintbrush out of her bag and checking its tip. “I paint really, really well. Even the ponies who didn’t like me a lot even admitted that I painted well.” She smirked; she thought back to when she had overheard some of her less-friendly peers talking about one of her contributions to the wallpapering.

“Fine, “Glass sighed as he started to the town, Loli following after with almost a skip in her step. “What happened you being tired?”

“I got over it a little. Not totally, but a little.” Loli replied as they stepped into town, looking around quietly. From what she assumed, it was probably night time, and there weren’t many ponies around. “…Where’s everypony?” she asked glass, looking to the buildings, then to the parts of what looked like a train.

“Probably asleep…? Well, Derp- Er, Ditzy, is probably awake in her shop, if she’s even still here…” he answered, shrugging as he walked down to a larger building. “I’m not sure, I haven’t been here in a long time.” He found her door and opened it quietly, peeking in and nodding at the hairless Pegasus who was organizing her wares. “Yeah, she’s here. Hey, Ditzy,” he said, going in, leaving the door open for Loli. There was no vocal response from the Pegasus, but she did come over with a happy gleam in her eyes, and a smile. Glass didn’t comment on her lack of words, just nodding back and moving as Loli came in.

“Err…Hello- I’m guessing from what Glass said, you’re Ditzy? Nice to meet you,” Loli greeted, half smiling at her and coming closer. “I’m Loli Splotch, and, um, from what Glass said, I guess I need to trade for some armor.” Loli glanced back to the door and noted that he had vanished, How can such a large pony sneak out so silently? She wondered, strongly hoping he would return, she set down her bag and levitated some paint and her brush. “I paint, so would you be open to a trade of some sort?” she asked, looking Ditzy in the eye cheerfully. Ditzy nodded happily, before looking up in thought. “…Do you have anything in mind for me to paint?” Loli asked, arching a brow at Ditzy. Again a nod, but no vocal response. “….Would you mind telling me what you’d like?” she asked, tilting her head softly at Ditzy until the Pegasus shrugged, opening her mouth to reveal a mouth devoid of a tongue.

“Oooooooooh…” Loli said, looking at the small remains of the tongue that wasn’t cut out with great interest. “Do you know how to write?” she asked, levitating a pencil out of her bag. Ditzy nodded hesitantly as Loli offered the pencil to her, taking the pencil and walking to the counter, moving some paper close and writing (with much effort) something on it, dropping the pencil and taking the paper to Loli.

“Somewhat. Can you make me a sign that says I can’t talk?” it read, though the words were messy and if Loli didn’t have experience reading bad mouth-writing, she probably would have taken longer to understand.

“Oh, sure, I can do that. Do you have something I can use- like paper, or some wood- to write on?” Loli asked, noticing her eyes sliding to the mare’s featherless wings and stopping it, returning her eyes to Ditzy’s face.

Once again Ditzy ran off, writing another messy note and returning. “Yes I have some wood boards, I’ll go get them.” It read, though Ditzy laid it on the floor and trotted behind the counter, rustling around before grabbing a small piece of wood and returning to Loli, laying it down too.

“Alright, I’ll get to work on it.” Loli chimed, sitting down and pulling out all of her paints, picking out a pale yellow- she thought it was similar to Ditzy’s eyes- and begun to get to work.

- - - - == == - - - - -

Loli smiled with pride at the little sign she’d made. It was simplistic in her mind, but she’d put more on it if she were asked. “Ditzy, how is this? Should I paint more onto it?” she asked, levitating the sign to the Pegasus ghoul.

Ditzy looked at it and grinned, grabbing the pencil and writing “It’s perfect! I like it how it is,” on some paper.

“Where should I put this? It’s almost dry now, and unless scratched it won’t smear. “Loli asked, before Ditzy trotted to the door, nodding at a spot where the sign would be seen.

“Yes, I do deliveries!”

“No hooves, nasty stingers?  No service.”

“Ask me about special orders!  I won’t answer, but I’ll get right on it!” it read, and Loli smiled softly. It could be easily seen from a distance even in the dim light, but she looked back to Ditzy quickly.

“So, do you know of any place Glass and I can sleep at? Is there any way I could see about us sleeping here for tonight?” she asked, looking at Ditzy curiously

Ditzy looked up in thought again before trotting back to write another note, bringing it back to Loli. “Well, you could spend the night here, but only if I get paid. Maybe another sign could be painted? This time, bigger, and it should say ‘Absolutely Everything’. I have the wood on the roof; I can go get it now.” Loli nodded and went back inside, moving her paints, levitating several with her as she went back outside, looking up to see Ditzy pulling a larger piece of wood down- it had been laying there for storage, probably- and lowering it down to Loli, eventually just dropping the end of it down.  After moving it just a little, Loli got to work once more on the sign just after Glass entered the building levitating cooked meat and strange fruit alongside him.

- - - - == == - - - - -

Finishing up with a smile, Loli separated the paint from her brush and forced it back into the tube with her magic as she went inside. “Ditzy, I’ve finished.” She said, going inside to meet the ghoul Pegasus. Quickly Ditzy went to look at the sign, and with a nod she started to the room where she would allow Glass and Loli to rest in.

“Oh, wait, one second,” Loli said, nudging Glass and getting a snore from him. She frowned and poked his ear nub with the tip of her hoof and he woke up, glaring at Loli.

“Sorry, painting takes too long.” The rather tired ghoul complained.

“I’ve worked a deal with Ditzy; In exchange for a sign, we can spend the night in a spare room she has.”Loli said, smiling as she looked to her things, pushing them into the saddlebags of hers that were on the floor and levitating that whole thing onto her back. “Come on,” She said, turning to follow Ditzy into the room.

Glass in turn got up and followed Loli, nodding a thanks at Ditzy as he went to the corner of the small room,  laid down and curled up to sleep. Loli did the same in an adjacent corner, taking a small amount of food out of her saddlebags and eating it to stave off hunger pangs, re-shutting it and putting it back so what she didn’t eat, she’d have for later. She then dozed off, curling up in her sleep, thankful to not have to be walking any more that night.

Footnote: Level up

Lolipop Splotch: LVL 3. Cherchez La Filly: +10% damage to the same sex and unique dialogue options with certain female characters. Barter and speech is also increased +5 any pony-oid creature.

Artistic Touch (Quest Perk): +15% art creation speed (of any kind) at no quality reduction due to Glass' "persuasion".

Broken Glass. LVL 3. I'd Like To Axe A Question: All ax type weapons (except ax pole arms) can now be thrown at 75% normal thrown weapon velocity and distance. Also makes levitating and holding axes become more natural reducing the weight by 25%.

Chapter 3

   “Slipheart!?”

Loli woke up slowly, stretching out and slitting an eye open to see Glass, like always, already awake and caring for his ax. “Do you ever not take care of that thing?” she asked sleepily, sitting up with a yawn.

“When my favorite ax is with me,” he answered, standing up and lifting the ax with his magic.

“I mean, like, when aren't you taking care of your weapon?” Loli corrected, rolling her eyes slightly.

“When I don’t have it or I’m busy doing something else- Really Loli, do you even think?” Glass fought a smirk as he picked some of the fruit from his bag, snacking on it as he stood up.

“I do so think!” Loli protested, making a grumpy face as she stood up, poking Glass’s forearm with a hoof.  “It’s just I hardly ever see you not cleaning or sharpening or polishing that ax.”

“Well I used to build things, but then the balefires dropped and there hasn't been many materials left over, not counting glass bottles.” He tossed a fruit to her as he walked to the door. “I’ll wait out in the main shop for you, but don’t take forever.” Loli caught the fruit and looked at it with slight confusion before sticking her tongue out at him.

“Come on, the ponies I knew who took the longest to get up and ready were stallions,” She sighed, standing up and trotting out after him. She was stopped by Ditzy, who was holding a small bag of armor for Loli, along with a note. She put it down and Loli picked the armor out and put it on, reading the note quietly.

“Sorry if it doesn't fit, it’s the smallest armor I have.” Loli folded the note and put it in her saddle bag, nodding at her with a smile.

“It’s fine Ditzy, it’s a little loose but I can just tie it if I have to.” Loli trotted after Glass, adjusting to the feel of the leather she now wore. It was strange, she was wearing another being’s skin, and it seemed sort of… Barbaric.

“What, it isn't pony.” Glass said, arching a brow slightly at Loli, shaking his head softly. “It’s probably Radhog hide, or something.”

“It still feels… weird.” Loli answered, looking at the sleeves with an unsure gesture. “I mean, cloth is one thing but this is skin…”

“That’ll help protect yours.” Glass stated, starting out the door, holding it open for Loli as she followed. “Now come on, the sooner we hit the road, the sooner we get to my ax.”

“Fine Broken ants-in-his-pants,” Loli teased, sticking her tongue out as Glass just looked at her.

“I think I felt my IQ falling just now.

“Sorry.”

                                                                         - - - - - == == - - - - -

It had been hours since Glass and Loli had set out from New Appleoosa, and Loli’s pace was starting to slow. “Glass, I’m thirsty…” She whined, huffing after him in the dust.

“Fine, we’ll stop. I think my hide’s cooking, anyways.” Glass said, seeking shade, with Loli following. His ears twitched and he started to the nearest tree, pulling out a water bottle and handing it to Loli, who checked it with her Pipbuck and grimacing as it ticked into the Yellow.

“Is there anything like potassium Iodide or something I can take before drinking this so I don’t get sick?”

“No, trust me everypony out here drinks worse than this on a daily basis. You’ll be fine.” He looked at her Pipbuck and nodded as he entered the shade and sat down. “See, it’s just hardly in the yellow.” Loli looked to the pipbuck, then to the container of water and bit her lip softly- she needed to drink something.

“Fine but if I get sick you’re carrying me till we can get something to get me better.”

“Fair enough.” He replied, scanning the horizons quietly from his spot, as Loli opened the container and started to drink. “If you see some water, tell me so I can see about getting so-“

“Red!” Loli hissed, shutting the water as quickly as her magic could, swapping out the machete in her bag for the bottle, holding it in front of her nervously. There was a tense moment of silence, “It’s right on top of us…” she whispered, looking at Glass as he readied his ax, looking around before a gunshot rang through the air. It reflected off of Loli’s machete, and she backed up against the tree, trembling as a Pegasus dove through the branches of the tree, its guns ready as it looked at the two.

“Loli get down,” Glass said, pulling out a pistol and taking aim, starting a showdown with the Pegasus, not sure who’d fire first, if his would bring down the Pegasus or not.

“Hey, Dumbass, Lookie Lookie!” an unseen mare’s voice shouted, catching the Pegasus’s attention. “All this Plot and no one to share it with!”

“Loli Shut the Buck up!”

“It’s not me! “ Loli replied quickly, shutting her eyes as Glass took the distraction as a godsend; firing and hitting the Pegasus in the jaw and causing it to fall, at which point he took his ax and beheaded the thing, then took a single wing off of it. Loli, upon hearing the chops of Glass at work uncovered her eyes and put the machete back, looking to where the familiar voice came from.

“Loli! There you are,” the unseen mare- trotting closer and showing herself to be a red and white-maned Unicorn mare, looking from Loli to the ghoul cutting the Pegasus’s wing off and looting the corpse. She looked at her own E.F.S. on her forehoof and ventured closer nervously and hesitantly.

“Slip?? What the ever loving fuck’re ya doing out here?!” Loli called back, trotting over to her, startled. “Did something happen? Did the security ponies kick you out too?” She looked up at her, hooves dancing on the ground with excitement. Noting Slip’s hesitation of homing closer, she rotted back. “It’s ok slip this is Glass, he’s protecting me since I’m gonna get his prized ax back for him.

“O…’Kay then.” She said, unsure as she came close and looked at the ghoul-acorn, before looking off.

“Loli? Who the hell is this?” He asked gruffly, looking at the new mare coldly.

“I’m SlipHeart, I-I specialize in medicine I came after Loli because the stable started rioting-“

“Wait it what?!” Loli looked to SlipHeart and gasped.

“Yeah, it went on a riot. You’re room’s been trashed; the Overmare’s lost control and locked herself in her office for safety…. It’s fuckin’ crazy in there.” SlipHeart looked to Loli with a frown, but patted her back softly as Loli looked down. “Hey it’s ok, ponies are just overreacting. I bet this’ll all be over in a week.” She said, hoping to comfort Loli.

“Um, hate to interrupt but I only agreed to protect Loli,” Glass interrupted, frowning at the two. “You’re gonna have to fend for yourself, Slip.” He looked at her flatly as her aqua eyes caught onto his skinless patches, glittering with interest.

“Maybe I could provide my services as a doctor? You look like you could use some stitches, some antiseptic and ointment.” She offered, taking a closer look at the ear-nub and the skinless patch below it.

“Oh, oh, yeah, Slip’s the best doctor around! When she gives me a vaccination I don’t get hurt as much, not to mention she pretty much took care of a whole floor of ponies back in the stable!” Loli added, her green orbs turning to Glass and twinkling at the thought of having her friend tag along.

“Already tried stitching, it doesn’t work, but a professional doctor could be useful, because when Loli gets shot the first time I’ll need help holding her down to get the bullet out.”

“I will not get shot-“

“hush, and if I’ve gotten shot, you will too, and if you keep thinking you won’t then I’m going to laugh so hard when reality hits you hard in the chest.” Glass glared at Loli as she fell silent, allowing him to think. “Guess you can come, unless you’re as big a whiner as Loli. I mean really, one tick into the yellow and she flips out…”

“Oh, I don’t whine. Not till it gets up into the middle of the yellow, or until somepony’s down.” She stated, Loli giving a pleading, puppy-dog eye face.

“Oh alright. Loli wipe that look off your face you’re testing my patience.” Glass sighed, shaking his head. “Now come on, we’ve a while more to walk before we can rest.” There was a small groan from Loli but she walked along, pulling out some of her food from her saddlebags and giving it to Slip.

“So, where are we going? And, um, why?” Slip asked, taking the food and setting it in her own saddlebag as she followed closely.

“Friendship City, to spend the night in safety on the way to my ax, which Loli’d agreed to getting back for me in exchange for my protection.” He answered, shaking his head softly, flicking the remains of his mane to the side. “On the way there I’ll be stopping by an old friend of mine, too.”

“Oh…” Slip looked to Loli, and Loli nodded at her with a smile.

“Yep! In exchange for him keeping things from killing me in terrible ways, I’m fishing his ax out of the bottom of a river.” She grinned hopefully at her friend, who raised a brow instead of smiling back.

“Loli you don’t know how to swim. Not to mention it’s highly likely that if the river’s downstream of a major city, then it might be super radiated.”

“Well there’s a chance it’s not, y’know? And, there’s gotta be a way to float over the ax so I can use my magic.”

“Loli I swear to Celestia you’re the most naive pony I’ve ever met.”

“But I’m also the coolest.”

“Good goddess shut up you two; it’s like being too close to teenage school fillies.”

“Well I actually a-“

“You’ve not been in school for almost a year Loli.” Slip interrupted, keeping along next to Loli quietly.

“Oh, right…”

- - - - == == - - - - -

“Alright, you two keep close, we’re gonna go scavenging in there.” Glass said, looking back at Slip and Loli before nodding towards an old building, on the outskirts of what Loli’s pipbuck called “Manehattan”.

“Glass, how’s my pipbuck picking all this up? It’s weirding me out.” She asked, looking at her pipbuck uneasily.

“I’m not sure; I’ve never got to see one of those up close.” Glass said, sighing as he pulled his ax up to check how it was holding up. “Don’t let anypony take that thing though, 'cause it’s pretty useful. Now, once we’re in there, you take the small spots. Grab any bottle caps, weapons, food, water, bobby pins, anything that looks valuable. As much as you can carry. You see a red dot come to me, machete out. You sure you know how to use that?”

“If it’s anything like a ninja sword then hell yeah.” There was a groan from glass and Loli nudged him cheerfully. “Come on, I can think. You swing it and hit the threat with the sharp end, and even if it’s not in the same style as the cartoons I watched I can still do it.” She arched a brow at him and he face hoofed, wiping his hoof down his face as he looked down at her.

“…Just keep a good hold on that thing and don’t go swinging it near me till I can teach you how to use it properly.” Glass grimaced as he looked to Slip. “You got a weapon?”

“Well, I have this thing I found by the stable, it’s small but it’s worked when I dealt with this weird hovering thing.” Slip said as she slipped some small hoof shackles out of her bag, sticking her tongue out at the stains on its cuffs.

“Those are slaver’s shackles, and I suspect that was a Bloatsprite, Slip.” Glass said, turning his eye to Slip. “But I suppose it’s good you found a use for them. We’ll see if we can sell them in the next town we get to.”

“Wait, so slavers can buy them and get more ponies?” Loli asked, looking at Glass with worry.

“No, to be melted to raw materials now shush I know what I’m doing.” Glass looked sharply at Loli as she looked down and shut up, leaving the larger ponies to speak. “Alright, so if you come across any hostiles smack them with that and run back to me. Anypony get hurt, you heal them, otherwise you keep grabbing all you can get.”

“Got it.” Slip nodded, putting the chains over her neck to hold them until they were needed. Glass nodded and started in, ax at the ready, followed by Loli, her machete hovering by her face as she walked in, starting to look around at the toppled furniture. One look at her pipbuck and she went to Glass and tapped his leg softly, raising her forehoof up to show him all of the red lights in the building.

“Radroaches, I think. We’ll be fine. Just get those buckers in the head and they’ll go down.” He whispered, going about his business, looking in the drawers of a toppled file cabinet. Loli nodded and looked about, finding several bobby pins near a door. She put them in her bag and opened the door slowly, peering in to find the room covered in graffiti and the smell of shit, piss, and decay. She gagged a little, not sure if it was more over the bad attempt at street-art or the smell. She sucked it up however and went in, scavenging some more bobby pins and a few caps along her scanning of the floor of the room. She went to the mattress that was in the corner and forced herself not to gag as she grimaced at the stained thing. God, Shelly would’a loved this place. Just like something out of her paintings… she found herself thinking as she flipped it, finding nothing but a radroach. She let out a small startled squeak, swinging her machete wildly at the thing, hitting it enough to knock it on its back, then stabbing it in the head. With her look of disgust stuck on her face, she walked backwards to the door, finding her rump bumping somepony behind her. Looking up she found a dingy red pony grinning madly down at her, his yellow eyes standing out sharply against his grimy face. Loli screamed and ran under the pony, back to the main room where she went to Glass and hid behind him.

“Glass!” she cried, pointing to the raider in the door way. “Hostile Pony!”

“That’s a raider, Loli.” Glass muttered, raising his ax and reading himself for the Raider’s attack. Some slurred, profane words bubbled from its lips and it charged at him, pulling out a nice looking shotgun from a holster on its side, holding it in his mouth sideways. Glass’s jaw tensed and he lobbed his ax at the raider, hitting it in the side of the head and knocking it to the ground, the gun falling from its mouth. Quickly he stomped on the neck and removed his ax, calling out for Slip.

“Right here,” he said, moving beside him. “What’s a raider, by the way?”

“Not now keep an eye on Loli.” Glass replied, heading back into the room Loli came from, stomping his hooves loudly. Slip looked to Loli and Loli kept down, holding her machete in front of her for safety.

“But seriously what’s a raider? If it’s a pony that raids, then aren’t we raiders?” there was some snapping in the other room, thuds and clatters.

“I’m not sure, Glass told me that they’re ponies with piss-yellow eyes, and that they like to eat other ponies.” Loli answered, putting a hoof on Slip’s forehoof. “Don’t go watch, it’s probably not pretty.” She warned, as some shouts and gunshots came about, some blood sprayed through the doorway. “I learned that the hard way when I saw him chop off a unicorn slavers’ horn. Really messed up stuff.” There was silence in the other room, causing Loli to look at the door quietly.

“Wait- he what?” Slip looked at Loli like she’d just said the sky was on fire. “A unicorn’s horn?”

“Yeah, he has it in his bag. I figured since he was strong enough to do that- and the fact I saw this huge ass thing –a Manticore, I think he called it- he might be strong enough not just to deal with the dangers of the outside, but to get me back into a stable. That and he offered to protect me-“ there was another yell and a pop, this time interrupting Loli, “in exchange for getting his ax.” She smirked up at Slip and got up from cowering, inching to the doorway and peering in. “Damn, Glass, what the hell?” she asked, looking at the blood that now painted the floor, soaked the ceiling and covered some of the graffiti.

“Well they weren’t sane and were gonna kill us so I did what was necessary…” He shrugged, looting the corpses and chopping the horn off of a unicorn raider.

“No, I meant with the blood- how’d so much get on the ceiling… Like, I know some could get up there but that’s just insane.”

“You’re ignoring the corpses again aren’t you.”

“Yep now explain to me how it got all over up there, please.”

“Most of it was there before I dealt with the hostiles.”

“Oh. Lovely.” Loli muttered sarcastically, putting on a disgusted frown and turned out the door, to look at Slip. “Slip you can come in, but be careful it’s worse than looking at Mary Shelly’s paintings.” The pink mare shuttered as the yellow one exited, deciding to go in anyways.

“Oh goddess, Loli was right.” Slip gasped as she looked at the corpses, walking in and biting her lip as she looked at some of the beheaded ponies.

“Who’s Mary Shelly?” Glass asked, arching a brow at Slip as she came in.

“A pony Loli and I knew well. She drew stuff like this all the time. Pleasant filly till she gets to showing you her most recent work. Why’s this one missing a horn?”

“Reasons. Now, help me loot.” Glass muttered as he slipped the guns he’d gotten off of the raiders- a shotgun, semi-automatic gun and a pistol- into his saddlebags, along with the ammo and caps. “Don’t take the food on them, I wouldn’t trust it. Could have the raider bug on it.”

“So, raiders are made by bugs? Like a virus?” Slip asked, arching a brow at Glass as she removed the armor from the raider in front of her.

“I’m not sure the specifics, but it’s something you catch from eating other ponies. Makes your eyes go yellow, your brain go crazy, and you start craving ponies.”

“Oh beautiful,” Slip said sarcastically, looking at the caps she found in the pocket. “You said something about these earlier?”

“Yeah, they’re the currency here. Stupid and insane but it works.”  Glass shrugged as he looked around the room, scanning it quietly. “Get Loli, I think there’s an attic, and I probably won’t fit.” He asked, pulling a chain that was tucked into a crack in the ceiling. Slip left and brought in Loli just as Glass pulled open the door and the steps to the attic.

“You want me to go up there?”

“Yeah, I think you can deal with the Radroaches. If they’re too bad come down and I’ll stomp them.”

“Remember you have S.A.T.S. on your pipbuck, Loli. Sure as hell saved me when I came across the bloatsprite- that’s what it’s called, right? The fat hovering thing that stings?”

“Yeah.” Glass answered, as Loli face-hooved.

“I completely forgot about that.”

“I thought you might’ve. Your fiction episode could’ve been stopped if you’d used it.”

“Please don’t remind me of that,” Loli Groaned, going up the steps, machete in front of her again. “And if I find anything cool I’ll bring it down, though if it’s heavy I’m gonna make you help.”

“Fine.” Glass said, deciding to busy himself with cleaning his ax while Loli shuffled around up in the attic.

“So why’d you send her in?”

“I thought she could use some combat training. Radroaches are some of the easiest things to kill for a beginner. Also I thought there might be something cool up there; you never know what you’ll find hidden.” Glass smirked, listening to the little squeaks and yelps of Loli. “She’s sort of like a foal, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, my coworkers and I were worried she might’ve been mentally stunted too. Turned out, though, that she’s just really immature, like she can understand everything, but she just acts like this for her own reasons. I’ve seen her be mature, like, once, and it was the weirdest thing ever. She didn’t even have her cutie mark yet and she just put on her big-mare pants and walked right up to the Overmare and asked to work on the wallpapers. And you know what, for once she didn’t draw a dick or an ass anywhere, and for her efforts she got her cutiemark.”

“…All I asked was if you thought she was foalish too. Didn’t ask for a life story.” Glass sighed, shaking his head. His ear flicked backwards and he readied his ax again, turning to the door to find a Raider that he’d missed standing there, .22 pistol in mouth. “hold up,” he muttered before the gun went off, hitting his front leg. Without batting his eye he threw his ax and hit the pony square in the head, the corpse falling right to the floor as he lowered his head to his wound. In a swift moment he bit out the bullet and spat it on the ground, looking to Slip like it was the usual. “Mind showing me your famed medical skills?” he asked, and with a nod Slip got to work.

“Sure, and sorry, I’ve not been used to not having a conversation for such a long time.” Slip had a look of disbelief at how Glass had bit his own bullet out. That guy is freaking insane…

“…It’s fine. Mind telling me what S.A.T.S. is?”

“It’s a thingy that stops time and helps me do stuff!” Loli shouted from the attic.

“Loli focus on finding stuff!” Slip shouted back. “He was asking me!”

“Fine, you meanie!” Loli jokingly called back, as more rustling noises came from the attic.

“Anyways, it’s short for Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell. It slows time down on the pony that activated it and allows them to do stuff faster. Usually we use it in the stables for dances, surgeries or medical practices, acting ponies use it for fight scenes, and sometimes artists use it for painting or drawing too.” Slip explained, looking at her EFS quietly. “Loli, how ya holdin’ up?”

“I found a thing!” she replied, followed by a strained grunt. “This box as some cool stuff in it!” she cheered, popping her face out of the attic. “I need help though, it’s heavy.”

“I got it,” glass said, setting down his ax and helping Loli levitate it down the steps, onto the floor.

“See, look, it has this figurine in it and all these cool clothes and a knife!” she beamed as she levitated the little figurine. It was a cute tan pony with a blonde mane and tail with three apples on her rump, upon closer inspection the bottom was engraved with two words. “Be strong” Loli muttered to herself.

Footnote: Level up

Lolipop Splotch: LVL 4. Perks:  Entomologist : You do an additional 50% damage every time you attack a mutated insect.

Broken Glass: LVL 4. Tough Hide: Very low caliber weapons rarely pass farther than skin when wearing medium or heavy armor

Slip Heart: LVL 2 Perks:  Swift Learner: You gain an additional 10% whenever experience points are earned