-Chapter One-
Gunfire. There was a few bursts of in the distance. I felt a burning line of pain and fire tear through my side, as a group of soldiers off in the distance fired their assault rifles at me and my companions. We were out numbered by far it was 3 of us against 5 of them. We had been trying to sneak in and rescue the captives, but a crazy psycho bitch goddess thing had ambushed us. So now here we are running for our lives from a group of under trained retards with guns. As the 5.56 round tore through me I fell to my knees gasping for breath. It felt like somepony had driven a red hot piece of metal straight through me. As I fell to my knees I skidded to a stop and started to roll down a hill. Ouch. As I laid down in the ditch I had rolled into it started to rain. And out here I didn’t just sprinkle whenever, it rained it was basically a fucking monsoon. I Tried to get up only to find I had broken my front right foreleg. I looked down to see the bone sticking out at an awkward angle, chunks of crimson meat and blood were stuck to it. If I didn’t get to a doctor soon I might lose the leg or worse die from blood loss. Just as I thought I was dead a soldier missing a leg and an eye with only one and a half ear left, came up to me and yelled some thing I couldn’t understand. There was a horrible ringing in my ears, probably from blood loss. I blacked out. When I woke up I was strapped to a chair, in a room lit by a single hanging light just above me. A stallion with a matted and bloody sand colored coat came into the room and looked at me without a sound. “What were you doing near our camp?” he asked in a very deep and gravelly voice. “Fuck you” I said calmly. “Oh I’m sorry but I am saving that kind of torture for later” he said smiling. Wow how had a little mare born and raised in a small hut just outside of the Everfree forest ended up in this situation like this? “Ha I’ve stepped on stronger things than you” I said mockingly and spiting in his face. He wiped the spit off and rubbed it on my leg. I smiled “Ahhh thank you, you’re so generous” I said sarcastically. He smiled and then punched me in the muzzle breaking my nose. Blood running from my muzzle heavily. I tried to reach up and put pressure on my nose, only to find out that I was strapped to the chair with barbed wire. How hadn’t I realized that before. A large vibration shook the building I was in knocking loose dust from the ceiling. The mysterious stallion in front of me punched me across the face harder, possibly cracking my jaw bone. “WHAT WAS THAT” he yelled at me. My vision was swimming and pulsing a reddish hue.” I-I have no idea.”. Then something outside blew a hole in the wall to my left. The shock wave tipped over my chair and left me dazed with ringing ears. As soon as I got at least a little bit of my senses back I immediately lost my lunch. I got to my hooves and looked around. The body of the stallion lay there in a pool of his own blood. I put that thought out of my head and continued to search the room. The only thing different was the gaping hole in the wall. I walked slowly to the hole in the wall. Side stepping the stallion’s body care full not to step in the pooling blood. As I walked through the hole I heard a loud blaring siren, that did nothing to help my headache. I ran and dove into the nearest building. I felt like the luckiest pony in all of Equestria right then. The building I dove into was their armory, and I was plum full of everything from assault carbines to rocket launcher battle saddles. But sadly all of the battle saddles were to big to fit me. But I took as much with me as I could. Then just I was about to open the door I heard a voice come over a speaker system “Come out Lights we know your in there”. Yep that was my name I was Bright Lights. The name wasn’t much but I was proud of it. “FUCK YOU” I yelled at whoever was talking. Then just as I started to open the door (BLAM) a .44 round tore through the wall right next to me. Fuck, what was I supposed to do now? I yelled “Ugh” and pushed a sack of potatoes to the floor next to me to make it sound like I fell. I pulled out the assault rifle I had scavenged from the room I was in and waited. As soon as the guard stuck his head in I fired 3 rounds into his forehead making it resemble a canoe. He fell to the floor with a heavy thump, I went up and started to scavenge off of his body. All I got off of him was a pack of cigarettes, three 10mm clips half full, and a magazine titled “Modern Weapons and Tactics”. It looked as if it out dated the war. I then snuck out of the building using telekinesis to lighten my weight to decrease the noise I made. I had nearly gotten to the main gate when all of a sudden there was the winged bitch goddess thing. “Tisk tisk tisk, I expected more from you Lights. And now here you are just about to die.” I spun around and kicked her in the face as hard as I could. Then not even looking back I sprinted for the gate. She stumbled backwards until she got her senses back, and then started to chase me. I ran as fast as I could. Just as I was passing through the gate I realized that there were two security turrets mounted just above the door. Goddesses rape me in a threesome. It was to late for me to stop, so I sprinted past them as fast as possible. Just as I thought I was clear I heard a buzzing sound, and then my whole left side and flank erupted in pain as the turret tore holes in me the size of quarters. I turned quickly behind a rock. While all this was happening the thing chasing me stoped and went up to a look out tower. I heard a ground shaking BLAM as the winged bitch up in the tower fired a .50cal at the rock I was behind. How was I getting out of this alive? I reached around and took out a healing potion that I had got from the armory, and then chuged it. It tasted horrible but it should be enough to stop the bleeding. As soon as the holes closed I threw a tin can from behind the rock. BLAM, it exploded. As soon as I tossed the can I sprinted out the other way. Not running in a specific direction just trying to get away. A small rock next to me exploded. I saw a small town ahead and galloped to it. I had just gotten to the front gate when I saw a stallion close the gates. Then an intercom blared to life “Who are you and what do you want?” came a static voice from the inter com. I Reached up and pushed the talk buton “ I am Bright Lights and I need medical atten……” I then passed out from internal bleeding.
-Chapter 2-
Blinding lights and pain. I hurt everywhere, I tried to sit up only to find that I was strapped down. I started to struggle to break free of the bonds holding me “Let me out of here or I will rip off your heads and shit down your necks” I yelled. A nurse walked in “Calm down you are safe here” she had a bluish gray coat and a light blue mane and tail. “Where am I?” I asked while lying back down. “You mam are now in the hospital of New Ponyville”. “What how did I get here?”.I tried to sit up only to find that my head was strapped to the table I was on. “And why am I strapped down?”. “Well if you would give me time to answer I will explain everything. First when you ran up to our gate and said you needed medical attention we rushed you in after stripping you of your weapons and what little armor you had on. And last but not least you are restrained because you kept having seizures.”. “Well I am awake now so can you un strap me please?”. The nurse came over and undid the ties holding me in place. I slowly sat up as my head started to spin. I lost what was left of my lunch over the side of the hospital bed I was sitting on. I felt weird the room had a kind of liquefied feel like I was surrounded by syrup. I giggled and moved my hooves through the air in random directions. The nurse laughed and came over to me “Those would be the pain meds we put you on. Don’t worry they will wear off soon.” “Oh, ok” I stood up as the world started to spin around me so I quickly sat back down hitting the metal table a little hard. “Maybe you should rest for a little while, come on” the nurse then threw one of my legs over her shoulder and walked me to a bed in the clinic.Once the nurse had me laying down and covered with blankets she walked out just as a pegasus stallion walked in. “How are you today Mrs……..” he pulled out a clipboard and flipped through it “Mrs. Lights is it? Well nice to meet you I’m Doctor Blaze, but you can just call me Fire.”. He held out a hoof in greeting, but when I tried to shake it I kept missing. “Sorry Doc but these are some pretty strong drugs.”. “No need to be sorry I agree.”. In my pill educed stupor I said for some reason “Hey Doc your pretty good looking.”. He turned around and looked at me, then blushed a little, then continued out of the room. I lay there in the bed staring at the celling and huming to myself. I started to drift off to sleep when Fire came into the room. “Well Mrs Lights it looks like you are free to go. There is a lodge where you can stay until you get back on your feet, right down the road.”. I tried to get up and out of bed , but I fell over and lay there laughing on the ground. “Whats so funny” asked Fire as he helped me back to my hoofs. “Nothing im just laughing at how weird my life has turned out.”. “If you don’t mind me being curious, I would like to get to know you better.”. “Sure I’ll go down to the Lodge and get a room. You can come by after work ok?”. “Sounds like a plan.” Fire said while smiling like a retard. Fire then walked out of the room with a little skip to his step. I walked out side and was blinded by the light. As soon as my eyes adjusted I say a whole town put together with no more than steel siding, steel shingles, plywood, car parts, and the occasional other piece of junk. But the whole town was encased in some sort of weird shell mad of random scrap meta, (With the acception of the top part) It was like a gigantic bowl. Just as I started to wander around a shorter haired mare came up to me and said “Welcome to Appolusa reborn, im the mayor of this here town, and boy howdy did you give us a scare when yall collapsed on our door step.”. She had a heavy accent I would have to guess it was southern, or at least judging by the books I had read in Vau, (With the acception of the top part) It was like a gigantic bowl. Just as I started to wander around a shoter haired mare came up to me and said “Welcome to Appolusa reborn, im the mayor of this here town, and boy howdy did you give us a scare when yall collapsed on our door step.”. She had a heavy accent I would have to gues it was southern, or at least judging by the books I had read in Vault 73. “ Nice to meet you Misses Mayor nut I really must find a place to stay the night.”. “Well If you'd like y'all can stay at my place?”. It was more a question than a statement. “I would be honored, and do you by chance have a place that I can clean up?” “ Eeeeeeyup right down in my house.” “Thank you I am expecting a very………close guest to come over tonight”. I lied about us being close. I know I was just indulging in my fantasies but I can be very convincing. “Well sure well go back and get yall nice and perty for your special guest.”. With that she walked away, and I followed. We walked down the dirt street, past a multitude of buildings that, in the pre war era had to be beautiful. But since then had decayed and rotted under the elements. When we finally stopped it was at a building that was admitably better than the rest, but only under the fact that it wasn’t held together with steel sididing. The mayor waved her hoof over the building “Well here yad be, she aint much but shes what I call home.”. “Its just fine. Its a lot better than the other buildings.”. The mayor then walked up to a glowing terminal on the wall next to the door. The terminal was hidden well, it was in a locked telephone box with an “Out of Order” sighn on it. “One second I just gotta turn off them turrets.”. I sighed, throughout my stay in the wasteland I hadn’t had one good experience with turrets. After the mayor finished with the terminal, she closed the box and locked it. “Oh yes missis mayor I had almost forgot to ask if you would send a letter to Doctor Fire telling him to meet me here tonight?” it was more of a question than a request. “Well sure thing little miss Lights.”. The mayor went up to the door and held it open. I walked past her slowly, being very cautious near the turrets. Even though they were off I was always careful near them. 200 years of continuous use cant be good for them. The mayor walked in and closed the door behind herself. “Welcome to my shack, she aint much but she’s better than most.”. Oh its quite alright deary its beautiful.”. “Thank ya kindly. Well im gonna go send that message to the Doc. Your room is down the hall, take a left, and last door on the right.”. I nodded and started to walk down to my room. While walking I started singing “Highway to Hell” ironic right? As I tuned a corner to get to my room there was a turret on the ceiling. It suddenly swiveled to point at me. I dove onto the ground as it started shooting me. I shot a ball of paralyzing magic at it. It just nicked its hull, but that was just enough. The turret exploded in a white and blue shower of sparks. I lay on the ground bleeding. “HELP” I yelled in no specific direction. I couldn’t move my muscles had locked up from shock. I blacked out.
-Chapter 3-
Beeps, that was all that I heard. I opened my eyes a little and a blinding light hung over me. I was on a hard metal table yet again. “Well hello there, welcome back.” Doctor Fire stuck his head into my line of sight. I smiled from ear to ear. I managed to mumble out “Hi Doc.”. He laughed “I’m glad to see you alive and getting well. We didn’t think that you would make it. That turret tore holes in you pretty big and they were hollow points.". I burst out laughing but stopped when I got a bad pain in my side “I’ve been through worse.”. “Oh, so are we still on for tonight?”. “Yes sir.”. He blushed a little bit and smiled as much as I did. “So what now?”. “Well for now ill help you to a more comfortable bed.”. “Okey Dokey”. He bent down and helped me up, I grunted and grabbed my tubes and such to bring along. “Now you may feel dizzy and light headed, but it’s all normal.”. “I can’t thank you enough Doc.”. “Diner at your place tonight will be thanks enough.”. I smiled “I can’t wait.”. We arrived at a bunk bed with a radio next to it. “Okay now just lay down nice and slow, and listen to some nice music.”. I laid down very slow to avoid hurting myself. Once I was laying down comfortably the Doc covered me with a wool blanket, and then turned on a radio. The first thing that I heard from that radio was a male voice “Heloooooo capital wasteland, this is your dear friend Penny Royal up here in the one, the only, Equestrian Tower, the last building in this shit hole we call a home that has not been vomited on by radiation. Now for the news. There was some commotion in a slaver camp close by New Ponyvile. It seems there was a group of wanderers that were tryin to sneak in and save some captives. They were met with death, but one of em was takin hostage and escaped. Now im not sure this mare-o-mysterious wants her name blarin across the wastlend. So for now ill call her Mare of mystery. Now this mare of mystery is one tough lady. She has been shot up by two turrets and still ran away while an Alicorn shot a 50. Cal at her. That is all for the news, now its time for some music. Then his voice was replaced by the song “Easy Living”. I started huming along with the song when the Doc walked in. “How are you feeling?” “Ill live, like I said ive been through worse.” “Just remember that if you ever want to talk about anything my ears are open.” As the Doc said that he sat down next to me and brushed my cheek. My face turned a light red. He smiled warmly and giggled a little. “whats so funny?” he looked into my eyes and said “You are just the most adorable little thing I have ever seen.”. “Wow flirting already? Weve barely met each other.”. “I know its just, when you find something good and pure in this shit storm you want to hold onto it with all you got, and you are the nicest most pure thing in existence.”. “That’s very sweet of you but I would still like to get to know you better before I make decisions.”. “I understand, but either way its about time we got you home. I got part of the mayor’s message. It only said you were going to stay, and then it ended. Im going to guess your staying with her?”. “You are correct.”. “Ok well lets not waste time ill get you a wheel chair and well be off.”. “Ok but im gonna need some help getting up and into it.”. “I would expect nothing less.”. I slowly sat up, but then fell back down as the room started to spin. The Doc put his leg around me and then helped me up very slowly. He put a leg all the way around me and slowly put me in the wheel chair. “Thanks I doubt I could even sit up by myself.” “No problem that’s why I had my superiors assign me a house call to you, just to make sure you are ok throughout the night.” He winked at me then started to push me through the halls to the front door. Just as he pushed me out of the door the front gates at the front of the town exploded inward. And now a whole bunch of soldiers in black bat like power armor walked in, and started shooting laser weapons everywhere. The Doc yelled “FUCK” and pushed me down an alley way. “It’s the Enclave. A little while ago we found a few dead soldiers and took their armor.”. “Oh well I would sugest we hurry this up and get to some weapons.” “What!? You want to fight them?”. “Well da, im not about to let them attack innocents for fun.” “Ahhhh fine the weapons are this way. But you can barely walk, first we need to get you some adrenaline.”. “Don’t you have some on you?”. “No not at the moment, but there is some in my house. Don’t worry its right next to the armory.” “Well what are we waiting for? Push!!”. The Doc rolled his eyes, grabbed the handle to my chair in his mouth, and started to gallop to his house. We had just turned a corner around a house, and gues what? There were three Enclave soldiers standing there. “Hold it right there or we melt you.” His voice sounded mechanical through all of his armor. The Doc turned me around and started galloping the other way. As he was running he cast a spell on us to prevent us from being melted, but the shots could still put holes in us. Just as the Doc was turning the corner one of the soldiers shot at us. It hit the Doc in the flack right where his cutie mark was. The bolt shot straight through and exploded on a nearby building. The Doc screamed as the bolt tore a hold the size of an apple straight through him. The laser was hot enough that it cauterized the wound and left a hole that didn’t bleed. We were fucked. “DOCTOR!!!” I turned my chair around just as the soldiers turned the corner and looked at us. One of them took aim with his Plasma Rifle battle saddle. “Do you surrender?” “ Do I have a choice?”. Good then you will not die. Get the stallion medical attention now!!”. Two of the soldiers rushed to the Doc and carried him away. I tried to roll after him but the final one stopped me. “Where are you taking him?” I asked while giveng the man an evil glare through his armored helmet. He remained indecisive. “We are taking him back to the base for questioning” “Well than I sure as hell hope you plan on taking me in to.”. “And mow what reason would we have to so that. He is suspected of holding valuable information, and we must get that at all costs.”. I tried my last resort. I cast a spell on him to make him more gullible. “Now you will take me with you and make sure me and Doctor Fire over there are not separated. Am I understood?”. “Yes ma’am.”. he came up behind me and started to push me to the Doc. They put me and the Doc into the back of a wagon and blind folded us. “Hey Doc.”. “Lights is that you!?”. “Da do I sound like someone else.” It was more of a statement than a question. “Oh Lights im so happy to see you, well hear your voice.”. Then the Doc leaned over and hugged me. I smiled and laughed a little “Whoa its nice to hear you to, but I had to use a spell to convince the guy to bring me with you.”. The Doc face hoofed. “Wow”, I punched him on the arm. “What I wasn’t just about to let my only friend out here be taken away by force.”. He smiled or at least I think he did, I couldn’t see a thing. “Friend? But I got you in this situation.”. “Yes you did.” I said calmly “But the one thing you must remember is love and tolerate, and right now Im on tolerate.”. “Well either way im happy that I have you to lean on when things get tough.”. Then the soldier driving the wagon but in to the conversation “Hey quiet back there or ill put you both down.”. We both shut up. When it got dark we set up camp. Me and the Doc were of course put in separate tents. I lay there listening to the heavy foot steps of the patrols in their power armor, and trying to sleep. For some reason I had a feeling that if I slept I would die. So I got up and started to sneak over to the Docs tent. His tent was heavily guarded. Shit. I went back to my tent which for some reason had a surprising lack of guards. I went to the locked footlocker in the back of it and strated to do my work. I didn’t have any bobby pins or a screwdriver. So I used a little magic to move the tumblers into the right place. The lock clicked with a satisfyingly and popped open a little. I slowly opened the lid, cringing at the noise. If they found me still awake I would be toast. I pulled out a pipshod-1200 and started to record a message. The message was quiet and hurried, I needed to get out of there asap. The message was to tell the Doc that I had to leave, it just wasn’t right that I stayed there. Although not to worry because I would return with help, and lots of it. I snuck back out to his tent and slipped the device under the fabric of his tent. I accidentally pushed it into is head and he woke up. “Wha-what whose there?” he whispered quietly. “Ssssshhhhh its Lights. Just don’t move and listen to this as soon as you can.” I felt him grab the pipshod and pull it away, I let go quickly. “Im sorry but I must go.” I whispered to him through the fabric.” Ok ill see ya tomorrow.”, and with that he went back to sleep. “Shit, I really hope he doesn’t get hurt or over react when he gets the message.” I slowly snuck back to my tent. I reached in and grabbed my sleeping bag and pillow, I might need that later. I strapped that to my back using an extra tent rope. I really hoped my paralyzing spell would work on their armor. I started to sneak around the camp past a few OD green cloth tents. The I got to the edge of our camp, and there was one just sitting there looking off into the distance. I crouched as low to the ground as possible, and started to slowly and cautiously walk to the back of the sodier. I came up to his or her back (It was imposible to tell through their armor) and taped her shoulder. She turned quickly and was just about to yell something when my spell hit him/her and temporarily disabled her armor. I then went up to her and stood there looking at him/her. The eyes of their armor now black instead of glowing red. I started to slowly take apart her armor, much to her dislike. I had gotten all but the helmet off and she(For the voice was a girl) Started trying to yell for help. The helmet still muffled her voice, but I had no doubt that it was loud enough to attract attention. I grabbed the helmet between my hooves and jerked it to the side. I heard her neck snap like a wet twig. I took off the helmet, and then unstrapped my sleeping gear from my back. I mean how hard could this armor be to use. Right? I put the armor on just in time for it to reactivate. I saw a bunch of system check progress bars appear on, what I latter learnt was my eyes forward warning system. But I just call it my eyes forward sparkle, but that’s not the point. After that I started to walk forward and my front leg shot forward and almost broke my foreleg. Ok so it’s a little harder than I thought. But it did have its own plasma rifles built in, but id have to figure those out latter. For now my biggest problem was getting to the Doc. I know I told him I was leaving, but now that I was most likely noticed, I couldn’t leave him behind to be tortured or questioned for answers as to where I went. So I grabbed the dead mare with telekinesis, which miraculously there was a hole to put your horn through in this armor, given you had one. Anyway I hid the body behind a rock, and then started walking to the Doc’s tent. I was falling and stumbling constantly. So when I crossed paths with another Enclave soldier he knew I was up to something. “You!! Stop right there or ill melt you into a puddle.” “What are you talking about, I am walking to our supply shed. My armor needs some repairs.”. “Ya likely story considering these suits of armor repair themselves.”. Shit. “My armor has run out of scrap meatal to use for repairs.” “Oh continue on then.”. He walked away into the darkness. I sighed and continued to walk onward at a moderate pace. I finaly got to the Doc’s tent, and confronted the two pony’s who were gurding it. “Sir’s I have been commanded by the president to relieve you of your duty.”. One of them looked at me “And why is that?” “Our leader feels as if you two have become power hungry and wishes you to be removed of suty. He has given you two options, you can obey, or die.”. The two soldiers looked at each other, and then ran away. I walked into the tent. “Hey Doc wake up.” I nuged him with my hoof. He stired and looked at me. A look of surprise came over his face “What so you want?” “Its me Lights we need to get out of here.” “Lights!? How.. what are you wearing?”. “It’s a long story, and ill explain it when we are out of here.” “Yes ma’am.”. He got up and started to follow me as I walked out of the tent and off into the darkness.
