"...and that's why I don't want you to leave my sight," Carter finished, still holding Rainbow as they neared the range. The mare looked back up at him, a bored expression on her face.

"That's really far-fetched Carter...I thought you said those guys were dead."

"Exactly why I'm telling you not to run off like that. You Never Know What Might Happen..."

"....In The Wasteland," Rainbow finished, an obvious hint of un-interest within her voice. Putting her head back down atop her outstretched forelegs, she blew a large intake of breath out of her mouth, her one constant reminder of her boredom being repeated for the umpteenth time that day.

"Why did this firing range of yours have to be so far away?"

"It's not. It's only a mile or two away from Megaton. You must be so tired Dashie. Walking around can do so much to a pony, huh?"

Crossing her arms, the mare replied, "I didn't choose to be swept up by your ass anyways."

"You still didn't fly off."

"I can't. Your fat arms won't let me."

Snorting, Carter stopped walking, slowly dropping Rainbow to the floor as he crossed his arms. Wiping dust from her suit, Rainbow looked back at Carter. Brow raised, she turned her head to look at the object of the man's attention. A red marque stood before her, S. E. S. in a rainbow shape on the top.

"Springvale Elementary," the mare read aloud, right hoof resting underneath her chin in thought, "what are we doing here?"

Rainbow looked back at him, and with a cock of his pistol he said simply, "Practice."

"Hey sir!"

A raider, clad in metal armor, came up to his comrade, "The fuck do you want?"

"Some guy dropped by earlier, said he was a courier."

Walking over to his teammate, the raider shook his head. Of course his friend would be this stupid. He probably didn't even kill the guy afterward. Fuck newbies. Sighing, he asked, "Well, what'd he drop off?"

The recruit calmly took out a box that sat next to him, a smile plastered on his face. A look of annoyance on his friends face told him to just keep grinning; he wouldn't get shot if he didn't. Scarlet always told him that-

BAM!

The recruit fell onto the floor, a large hole in the middle of his face. As his blood began to pool out over the stone floor, the veteran holstered his .32 pistol, walking over to the box still sitting on the floor. Wiping away the brain matter from the top with a huff of annoyance, he threw it open...

...only to find a pile of frag mines staring him in the face. "Ah fu-"

"Boom! Ahahaha!" Rainbow laughed, the explosion of her "little idea" coming to life from the floor above her. Looking to her right, she exclaimed, "That was so awesome!"

A cocky grin on his features, Carter remained in his crouched position, loading his revolver as he replied, "Good way to get them on alert. Damn, I'll bet we made quite a mess up there."

"You bet! Now, we gonna get to this or what?"

"You sure seem enthusiastic about killing a bunch of raiders..."

Bringing her newly acquired assault rifle up to her chest, Rainbow smirked, "You've kept me waiting long enough for some action, Carter," the mare cocked her rifle slowly, "let's get to it."

Shaking his head in mock disbelief, albeit with a smile still on his face, the duo withdrew from their cover on the opposite sides of the main door, swiftly bringing up a leg to kick open their side of the entrance. What greeted them was a row of lockers at the end of a T-shaped hallway, silence being the only noise accompanying their entrance.

Frowning, the mare began, "Now where the hell are-"

Carter put up a finger to the mare's mouth, quieting her as he shook his head. "Not now," he whispered, holstering his revolver, "they're still around."

Turning to the left of the lockers, the man stalked past a room clearly marked bathroom, due to the white figure atop the door. Crouching down at the corner, he turned his head and beckoned his companion over, making sure she was covered from behind as she quickly trotted over to him. Peeking out from their cover, he looked to the right of the hallway. A raider, clad in Blastmaster armor, was pacing through the halls, a sledgehammer grasped firmly within his hands.

"Follow me." Carter said, waiting for the right moment as he began to get into a running position. As the raider disappeared to the right side of the hallway, he sprinted toward the left side, looking for a room to duck down in. Looking to his left swiftly, he ran into the entrance to the upper floor, the staircase waiting obediently to his left as he stared through the cracks of the destroyed door. The room across from them held two sleeping raiders, one of which was in the far left corner, the other snoozing in the middle, closest to the door.

"Rainbow, I have a plan," he began, looking over to the mare, "I want you to fly into the room across from us and quietly nudge the closest raider's face."

Her right eye involuntarily twitched, "You want me to do what now? For a second there, I thought you wanted me to-"

"Whack a snoozing raider's face and run off? Yes, I did say that."

"But....they'll kill me before I make my way outta there!"

Waving both hands down and shushing the mare, he continued, "It's a lot easier than going up to them and slitting their throat, right? We can do either one."

A look of defeat slowly emerged from the mare's face. Glaring at the ground, she spat, "Fine," and turned tail, ready to open the door.

"Now, wait until he's turned the other way, then slowly push it open and fly in there. If you're fast enough, you can do it."

Turning her head back toward the man, Rainbow scoffed, "Bitch, please. I'm the fastest Pegasus back in Equestria. This is cake."

"Your hesitation seems to state otherwise."

"Shut up and let me do this," Rainbow replied, turning back to the door. Poking her head out the crack in the door, she saw the raider about-face and return to patrolling the right side of the hallway. Opening the door softly, she flared her wings and flew into the next room. Taking her hoof and bringing it over her head, she hit the side of the sleeping raider's head, causing him to reel in pain and clutch his head.

Quickly flying back to Carter, she closed the door once again, and snickered as she heard the struck raider yell, "Clyde! What the fuck!"

The raider got up, still holding his head, and stalked over to the patrolling raider, who obviously slouched when he saw his comrade emerge from the barracks. "The fuck is it now, Nat?"

"You know what the hell I'm talking about, jackass," Nat replied, pointing an accusing finger at the large bump on his forehead.

"What? Miss your dick when you were furiously masturbating last night?"

"No, smartass. You just socked me in the fucking head. You think this is funny, Clyde?"

"No, I just think it's funny how you always seem to blame me for the shit that happens to you. Who knows, it coulda been Louis who bonked you."

Putting his hand up to his chin, Nat contemplated, "Huh, maybe you're right. Maybe it was Louis. C'mon, let's go beat his ass."

The two suddenly began to walk back into the barracks, Nat leading, with Clyde following a little far behind.

"Y'know, it was most likely him. After all, he doesn't seem to think too highly of y-" Clyde stopped his sentence abruptly as an arrow found itself buried deep inside his throat, the arrow tip sticking into the wall next to him. "GAK! Gah- Nat-"

"Not this time, Clyde. I ain't fallin' for your feign death shit anymore. Don't wanna take part in beating Louis, that's fine by me."

Trying desperately to remove the opposing arrow from his throat, Clyde looked to his left and froze on the spot, his arms falling down to his sides limply. An old man, clad in an armored duster, stood to his left, a recently unloaded crossbow grasped firmly within his hands. What stood next to him caused Clyde to shit his pants in terror. An armored creature, light blue fur matted with dirt and blood stood before him, a Chinese assault rifle held firmly within her hooves. Bringing the rifle and hoisting it over her back, she pulled a revolver out of a leather holster at her side and took aim at Clyde's forehead. He felt the barrel of the firearm press firmly into his brow, bumping the front of his skull as he stared at the mare. His vision, slowly beginning to fade from the blood loss, saw the mare stare at his form for two more long seconds, until he saw no longer.

The raiders form fell limply to the floor, only kept up to the wall via the arrow protruding from his throat. Carter looked over at Rainbow, and with a gloved hand, gave her a thumbs up and a smile as he proceeded to retrieve the newly bloodied arrow from the raider's dead form. Along with the arrow came a stream of blood, which cascaded down his neck and over his unprotected body as Rainbow looked on. Obviously, these guys need some more protection. Then again, some throat protection wouldn't hurt either. Shrugging, the mare heard a snap emanate from the room next to her, signifying the death of Louis from a very angry Nat.

"Teach the fucker to mess with me. Now, stop hiding Clyde, I know you're out there still," his voice grew louder, "c'mon man, it ain't funny anymore." Nat walked through the doorway, only to be met with a sharp combat knife through his left knee. Keeling over in excruciating pain, he suppressed the urge to scream in agony as he held the appendage with care. His form curled into a tried fetal position, only to find himself forced onto his chest as he was flipped over by his attacker. A low grunt emanated from behind him, and he felt the knife enter his lower back as he opened his mouth to scream.

His attacker prohibited this however, as he felt something furry clench over his mouth and hold it shut. Staring down at it through the pain, he saw a light blue stump of an arm clasping his mouth shut. Had he not a knife in his back, he would've raised a brow and uttered a statement of pure mind-fuck.

The knife, still buried within his lower back, was suddenly twisted by ten degrees, and swiftly pulled out as he yelled through the gag. The weight over his back was automatically lifted, and he suddenly thought his moment of agony was over. Instead, a loud chkk chk emanated from his right. Looking over, he was met with the barrel of his combat shotgun, and a bright light, which ceased his future existence in an instant.

Patting the mare on her head with a smile, Carter exclaimed, "Nice job."

"Thanks, Carter. Feel kind of bad...though..."

"What for? They kill anybody else who's not with them instantly. No questions asked."

"Even....children....?" Rainbow looked up at the man, a look of pure horror on her face as she was faced with the truth.

Sighing, the Wanderer replied, "Yes, even children."

Mouth agape in utter shock, the mare unholstered her assault rifle quickly, loaded in a fresh mag, and said menacingly, "Let's go kill these fuckers, shall we?"

Placing his crossbow on the ground and throwing his foot into the cocking stirrup, Carter drew his crossbow's string with a look of professionalism. Reaching underneath the barrel, he plucked an arrow from the hand-crafted quiver and placed it in the flight groove. Assuring it was safely locked into place, the man replied, "We shall."

Author's Note

Here's a crossbow mechanic for all you guys wondering about what I'm referring to. Trust me, it helps a little bit to understand.