Fallout Equestria: The Long Road Aheadby dj thunder chaserChaptersPrologueThe courierThe campThe planPrologueThe Long Road Ahead War Never Changes. That phrase has been around since the second great war, the worst that ponykind ever knew. At least the worst before the war that destroyed everything. Ponies and Zebras had always maintained a peaceful relationship; Zebras traded their coal for our gemstones. The ponies used the coal to fuel their machines, and Zebras (being incapable of magic) relied on the power contained in the gems to make their charms, talismans, and curses work properly. But like anything good thing, it couldn’t last. The zebra’s coal supply began to dwindle. Ponies were capable of growing more gemstones through magic on rock farms, and the Zebras were left to dig the coal from the earth. Since the gemstones could be remade, the Zebras decided that the Ponies should give them away for far less than they were actually worth. They were turned down for renegotiation again and again, until finally the Zebras threatened war if the renegotiation didn’t happen. It didn’t. Princess Celestia refused to allow the Zebra nation to demand anything of her, and Equestria was weaponized. Entire new companies were built to produce the engines of death that ponykind had never seen before. They fitted their gemstones into weapons that emitted pure energy, and would disintegrate whatever it hit on occasion. Far more common were simple ballistic weapons: A small piece of metal propelled at massive speed. By the end of things, you could find IronShod Firearm vending machines on every last street corner, even more common than the Sparkle~Cola machines that you can still find littering the ruins of the old world. During the buildup to full-blown war, Princess Luna was given her own school for gifted unicorns on Crescent Moon Ridge. It was given the best of defenses, because the ridge sits right where the Equestrian border met the Zebra border. All went well at first, but the unthinkable happened. A caravan of Zebra women and children refugees passed through the area one day, attempting to avoid the war. They were hailed, but they didn’t speak Equestrian, so they had no means to respond to the signal. The headmistress attempted to protect her students by activating the defenses and attacking the caravan. By the time she realized her mistake, the Zebra assassins guarding the caravan were already in the school, killing everypony that they could find in vengeance. Celestia blamed herself for that, and abdicated her throne to Luna, her younger sister. Luna took the six most revered mares in all Equestria and gave them their own ministry to help her with the war effort. Twilight Sparkle led the Ministry of Magic, and researched all magic and magical devices that she possibly could. Rarity led the Ministry of Image, which was dedicated to propaganda and the like. AppleJack headed the Ministry of Wartime Technology, developing new weapons and armor to keep the soldiers safe. Rainbow Dash was given the Ministry of Awesome, which only ever did one notable thing: The Single Pegasus Project. Pinkie Pie led the Ministry of Morale, which kept the ponies in fighting spirit as best she could. But hers served a darker purpose as well; They hunted down traitors to the Equestrian war machine. One such traitorous group was 4 Stars Transit line. They allowed Zebras to bring a Balefire Bomb into Manehattan and detonate it. Fluttershy’s Ministry may have the saddest story of the six. Fluttershy led her Ministry of Healing to heal the sick and wounded on and off the battlefield, but had a secret project in the works with the Ministry of Magic. She was creating a way to heal every last living thing on the battlefield, regardless of how near it was to death. She created an intricate underlying framework that a spell was cast upon, which amplified its power several thousand times. She called it the Megaspell. She intended it to only be used for healing magics, and never once thought that it could mean the end of civilization. In her desperation to stop the bloodshed, she gave the Megaspell to both sides, hoping that if each side had the power to end a battle with no losses, there would be no reason to fight any longer. But by this time, both the Ponies of Equestria and the Zebra tribes had become jaded and greedy. They turned this wonderful creation into a weapon. When they were used, the entire world ended in a flash of Balefire and pure magical energy. Then came the Enclave. The pegasi had been Equestria’s fighting elite when the Zebras began using dragons, so it makes sense that Cloudsdayle was the first place to be hit by the Balefire bombs. When it happened, the entire sprawling city disappeared in an enormous pillar of green fire. The pegasi, who were also responsible for the weather of Equestria, locked the cloud makers in full production, and cut themselves off from the rest of the world, vowing to return someday. They set up their own government, and kept to themselves for over 200 years. But then they kept their promise. When the Goddess and Red Eye conspired to take over the wasteland, the Enclave returned, but they intended to save nopony. Their first action upon returning was to destroy the Canterlot Ruins that had been tainted with the Pink Cloud, which was the most wicked megaspell the Zebras had been able to devise. It seemed tame enough, being just a pink mist, but everything it touched died, and was melted into the landscape. It even possessed the power to kill the once-thought immortal princesses. The Enclave slaughtered any that stood between them and total control, and they were only stopped when a brave little unicorn mare named LittlePip took control of the SPP and destroyed the cloud cover. It’s been years since LittlePip’s passing. The enclave is all but gone, and civilization is being rebuilt by the day. But it’s not enough for some ponies. The NLR, the New Lunar Republic, have been trying to take control of the new civilization to take it back to the ways of Old Equestria. But they aren’t the sole power in this world, not by a long shot. Xenon’s Legion, a band of Zebra Slaver Tribals are the greatest threat the wasteland could ever know. Xenon wants nothing more than to destroy the last of pony civilization, and bring them to heel as his slaves. Xenon was able to overcome Mr. House and the NLR at the battle of Hoof Dam, and took over New Pegasus, slaughtering thousands in the process. Nopony knows for sure what his next target is, or if the NLR will be able to hold him back this time, but there is one thing that everypony knows for sure. War Never Changes. The courier Chapter 2 The courier The worst has a way of following good ponies. It wouldn’t matter if you spent your whole life helping those that couldn’t help themselves, someone would resent you for it. That was the kind of pony Hawkeye had always tried to be. Even before she knew her talent was shooting raiders, she tried her best to help in every situation. Her whole life had been spent at the behest of others, and she just could not understand why such a situation would befall her. They had come in the night. Zebra raiders from Xenon’s legion had crept into the town under the watch of the guard and cut their throats. Once the guards were done, the lined up everyone in the town and began to cherry-pick some as slaves while the rest were slaughtered in the most gruesome way possible. As young as she was, Hawkeye was of course on the list for the slaves. Her brother, Thunder Chaser, made a scene and created a way for her to escape. She was dead certain he was dead now, and it weighed heavily on her heart as she gripped the rifle sling in her mouth and ran for all she was worth. The combined weight of the rifle, pack, and her mind slowed her down, but she couldn’t drop any of them if she expected to survive the harsh desert of surrounding Las Pegasus. The smoke hanging thick in the air wasn’t doing much either. Every breath carried the scent of burning flesh that she knew was from the town of Pony Springs, which had been her home. Bullets from Legion Raider Snipers landed nearby her as she jumped behind a particularly large rock. She knew if she tried to run while the snipers had her in their sights she’d never make it. She rested her rifle on the rock as another bullet slammed into the stone and bounced away. Clear my mind. She looked down the scope toward the plumes in the distance. Pick my target. The armor of the Legionnaires stood out in stark contrast to the smoke rising behind them. Adjust for distance and wind. She raised her sight to aim slightly above and to the left of the sniper. Steady breath. She sucked in a deep breath and fought the urge to cough as the acrid stink filled her lungs. Fire. A shot rang out, startling her. The Legionnaire on the wall collapsed as his blood poured from the wound in his throat. Hawkeye adjusted herself and pulled out her sidearm as she looked for the shooter. “Hey, calm down. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve.” The voice was coming from a nearby rock. It sounded sincere, if not downright friendly. “My name’s Courier. I came to help.” Hawkeye say back at this. Nobody in the wasteland did anything for free. “I don’t believe you.” She called from her position. “Are you really in a position to doubt me? I did just save your life.” “You want me to believe you? Step out here with your weapons away.” The stallion did as was asked of him. She looked the brown-maned grey stallion over, taking particular note of his NLR ranger barding. “Goddesses, you look like hell.” He said, starting toward her. “Here, let me-“ “Stay back or I’ll shoot you!” She yelled, popping the hammer of her pistol back. Courier stopped in his tracks. “Alright, take it easy.” He levitated the canteen from his pack, and took a drink. “See? It’s safe.” He tossed it to her. Hawkeye hated to show weakness, but she was too thirsty to care. She drained the canteen quickly and tossed it back before putting her pistol away. “Alright, maybe you’re not so bad. But why come to help?” she asked him. “I’ve always wanted to make a difference out here. Even if it’s just helping random strangers.” “Helping ponies for nothing? You’re either a saint or an idiot.” Hawkeye snarked as Courier picked up the high-powered rifle and trotted to her. “I prefer to think saint, but some recent experience make me believe idiot.” He replied, looking away. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she replied indignantly. “I’ll tell you as we head for a town. It’s not safe out here. Legion doesn’t stop at one sniper.” Hawkeye wasn’t happy about this. A strange stallion comes trotting out of nowhere wearing NLR Ranger barding so long after they had left the region to the Legion. On top of that, he expended his supplies in the aid of others who had nothing to offer in return. It all seemed too good to be true, and she knew what happened to ponies who fell into those traps. They either end up sold as manual labor, become slaves to somepony, shot, or all. She had no other way to survive, and he seemed to want to help, so she followed him, but several paces behind and with her pistol loaded. Whatever was going to happen, she’d figure out what to do when it did. The campChapter 3 The Camp Hawkeye awoke to the smell of bacon. After a brief moment admiring the delicious smell, she began to panic. The steel walls around her were completely foreign to her, and she was missing her gear. She leaped from the bed and immediately noticed all her belongings on a nearby nightstand. Looking around, it became apparent that if Courier was a kidnapper, he was a classy one at least. She hadn’t seen anything this well-kept and clean outside of pictures of the old world. A gentle knock came at the door. “Hawkeye, you awake? Breakfast is ready whenever you are.” Courier called through the steel door. Hawkeye felt somewhat more at ease. There was no way a door thin enough to talk through was meant to keep her prisoner. She grabbed her pistol for good measure and opened the door. The living space that she stepped into would be considered immaculate by wasteland standards. Despite being built entirely of steel, the entire room felt cozy. A wooden magazine rack sitting directly to the right of the door held several books of interest, but she wasn’t in a reading mood. Instead, her attention drifted to the bubbling fish tank built into the far wall. “Heh, like the fish do you?” She was startled by Courier’s voice behind her. She had thought he was elsewhere. “They were hard to get. Even Mister House had a problem finding exotic fish.” Hawkeye knew of House. There was hardly a pony that didn’t. He single-handedly built one of the most successful robotics companies under Applejack’s ministry during the war. Not only that, but he had managed to use the technology to survive the war and preserve Las Pegasus. Unfortunately for him, the Legion had proven to be more than he could handle. “They’re so pretty.” Hawkeye said with a childlike wonder. “So many different colors…” Courier chuckled again. “There’ll be plenty of time to watch them later. Come on, breakfast will only stay warm for so long.” He opened a set of doors revealing a ladder. Hawkeye was hesitant, but the scent of the fresh-cooked meat lured her to the surface. The hatch slammed down behind her as she looked around. A large water tank sat near the center of the encampment, about 15 feet from the edge of a small pond. Several small shacks sat scattered around the camp. She took special note of the old RV trailer holding all the supplies. There were a bunch of ponies sitting around the various campfires in the area. She also noticed that each pony had a bedroll. “Hey,” she asked. “Why are all these ponies sleeping outside? There are plenty of buildings.” Courier just sighed. “Well, we have to use what little space we have for storage. Each building has its purpose, and that means we have to sleep outside unless the weather means otherwise. Besides that, having everyone outside helps to keep an eye on the Khans.” “The Khans?” she questioned curiously. “Yeah. We’re not too far from Red Rock Canyon, their home camp.” Courier pointed toward a gash in the rock in the distance. The walls of the canyon were a distinct red hue. “The Khans allied themselves with the Legion during the fight, but now the Legion is trying to wipe them out. That means they can’t get out and get supplies normally, so they’ve become predatory. If we let them, they’d overrun our camp and steal everything we have. Oh, and they LOVE mares, so don’t get too far outside the perimeter.” Hawkeye shuddered at the thought. She tried to remember what she knew about the Khans. They were warriors first, and everything else second. Each male was required to be beaten within an inch of his life before he was considered a man, and those who died during the ritual weren’t even given a funeral. She had heard the bodies were fed to the dogs. She snapped back to reality, realizing she’d been ignoring Courier this whole time. “…trying to convince them to join us, but they’re just too proud. At least as far as their leader is concerned anyway. Several of the ponies here left the tribe to fight with us.” “What exactly are you trying to do here?” Hawkeye asked. “Simple. We kick the legion in the ass whenever we can, steal whatever they had, and leave before they can track us. It’s our way of life.” “I didn’t think anyone was out here opposing the Legion anymore.” “Not many. We keep ourselves under wraps. If we see someone with promise, we take them in, feed them, arm them, and then we’re one more strong. So…” Courier gave her a plate of meat with a smile. “What do you say? Feel like joining us?” Hawkeye sat and stared at the plate. There was nothing more she wanted in the world besides vengeance against the bastards that had taken everything from her. But she didn’t know exactly where she was, or who most of these ponies were, or if they were really who they claimed to be. Her thoughts were interrupted by a young mare who came running up to Courier. “Sir! The scouts just sent a report. The Ponysprings group of slaves are being moved into Las Pegasus right now.” She produced a series of three photographs and handed them to Courier. Hawkeye got over his shoulder and started looking at them. “Crap. I thought we’d have more time. I guess we’ll just have to let these go.” Courier sounded upset, but Hawkeye paid no mind as she nearly fell over at what she saw in the photo. Her brother was alive! And he was in Las Pegasus. She grabbed the plate up. “Damn right I’ll fight.” She said, taking a bite. “They’ll pay. They’ll all pay.” The planChapter 4 The last of the legion patrol fell as Hawkeye reloaded her rifle. She grinned. They hadn’t noticed her position even one time during the whole ordeal. She had been worried that her skills were failing since there hadn’t been many targets around the town for the last few days. Once reloaded, she laid the rifle back into position and watched as Courier led a small band into the middle of the now-quiet killzone to release the slaves. They set about cutting the ropes binding them, and then gathering the legion supplies off the bodies. She kept a careful eye on the slaves, as the legion had been catching on recently. Several times the slaves would be Legion moles, and would grab a machete or a gun as quickly as they were released. This was not one of those times, however. She packed up her gear and went down to meet the rest of the team. “You’re still up?” Courier stood in the doorway of the room she had been given in the underground bunker. She wasn’t entirely sure why she rated a room while the others slept outside, but she had a fair guess. She wasn’t sure what to think of it just yet though. “Yeah.” She was looking over the map of Vegas a scav team had brought back from the ruins of the old Repconn building. Several places had been marked by some of the escaped slaves that had been picked up earlier, each one detailing Legion activities within the wall. “It’s a bad plan, Hawk. You know that.” Courier walked in and looked over her shoulder at the map. She had drawn several lines, and marked out several as well. He didn’t know what they meant, but he knew she was planning to break in somehow. “So I’m just supposed to let them have my brother?” She laid down the pencil. She knew she wouldn’t be able to think properly now. She was lost somewhere between soul-crushing sorrow and righteous fury, as well as aggravation with Courier. He knew how important this was to her. “No, that’s not what I meant.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I want to help you get your brother back, but not if it means you getting hurt. We just have to wait for an opportunity.” “Screw that. The Legion doesn’t give opportunities.” “That’s what everyone said about the NCR. House, too.” Hawkeye glared at him. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t willing to admit it. He sighed and began to walk out of the room. “Goodnight, Hawk. Sleep well.” Morning came, but Hawkeye never noticed it. She turned over for what felt like the millionth time, and sighed again. Her pillow was soaked, and her face tear-stained. She sat upright and threw the blanket off before stepping out of bed. There had to be a way in, there just HAD to! She looked over at her rifle hanging on the wall. For all of her skill, and its ability to end lives, she still didn’t have what it took. She looked at the door as it slid open. “Good morni-… oh no.” Courier stepped in and wrapped her in a hug. “We’ll get him, I promise you that. But throwing away both our lives won’t help him. We have to be smart. There will be a way.” She held back her tears, not willing to let him see her at her weakest. Pulling back, she simply gestured at the door. “Alright.” He said. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” As soon as the door slid shut, she bucked the wall, leaving a dent. She was furious with herself for pushing everyone away. She had done it all her life, and now was no different. Courier reached out to help her at her moment of need every time, but she simply pushed him away. She needed to stop thinking about it. She turned her eyes again to the rifle hanging on the wall. She could blow off steam at the range, but that would mean going outside, and that wasn’t something she felt like doing. The sparkling water of the fish tank in the wall drew her attention, and she walked over to it. She sat on the cold metal floor and watched the fish swim about. It was oddly calming to her. She didn’t think about the world, the Legion, her brother, or Courier. Everything else melted away as the fish swam. She decided that she wanted fish of her own.
PrologueThe Long Road Ahead War Never Changes. That phrase has been around since the second great war, the worst that ponykind ever knew. At least the worst before the war that destroyed everything. Ponies and Zebras had always maintained a peaceful relationship; Zebras traded their coal for our gemstones. The ponies used the coal to fuel their machines, and Zebras (being incapable of magic) relied on the power contained in the gems to make their charms, talismans, and curses work properly. But like anything good thing, it couldn’t last. The zebra’s coal supply began to dwindle. Ponies were capable of growing more gemstones through magic on rock farms, and the Zebras were left to dig the coal from the earth. Since the gemstones could be remade, the Zebras decided that the Ponies should give them away for far less than they were actually worth. They were turned down for renegotiation again and again, until finally the Zebras threatened war if the renegotiation didn’t happen. It didn’t. Princess Celestia refused to allow the Zebra nation to demand anything of her, and Equestria was weaponized. Entire new companies were built to produce the engines of death that ponykind had never seen before. They fitted their gemstones into weapons that emitted pure energy, and would disintegrate whatever it hit on occasion. Far more common were simple ballistic weapons: A small piece of metal propelled at massive speed. By the end of things, you could find IronShod Firearm vending machines on every last street corner, even more common than the Sparkle~Cola machines that you can still find littering the ruins of the old world. During the buildup to full-blown war, Princess Luna was given her own school for gifted unicorns on Crescent Moon Ridge. It was given the best of defenses, because the ridge sits right where the Equestrian border met the Zebra border. All went well at first, but the unthinkable happened. A caravan of Zebra women and children refugees passed through the area one day, attempting to avoid the war. They were hailed, but they didn’t speak Equestrian, so they had no means to respond to the signal. The headmistress attempted to protect her students by activating the defenses and attacking the caravan. By the time she realized her mistake, the Zebra assassins guarding the caravan were already in the school, killing everypony that they could find in vengeance. Celestia blamed herself for that, and abdicated her throne to Luna, her younger sister. Luna took the six most revered mares in all Equestria and gave them their own ministry to help her with the war effort. Twilight Sparkle led the Ministry of Magic, and researched all magic and magical devices that she possibly could. Rarity led the Ministry of Image, which was dedicated to propaganda and the like. AppleJack headed the Ministry of Wartime Technology, developing new weapons and armor to keep the soldiers safe. Rainbow Dash was given the Ministry of Awesome, which only ever did one notable thing: The Single Pegasus Project. Pinkie Pie led the Ministry of Morale, which kept the ponies in fighting spirit as best she could. But hers served a darker purpose as well; They hunted down traitors to the Equestrian war machine. One such traitorous group was 4 Stars Transit line. They allowed Zebras to bring a Balefire Bomb into Manehattan and detonate it. Fluttershy’s Ministry may have the saddest story of the six. Fluttershy led her Ministry of Healing to heal the sick and wounded on and off the battlefield, but had a secret project in the works with the Ministry of Magic. She was creating a way to heal every last living thing on the battlefield, regardless of how near it was to death. She created an intricate underlying framework that a spell was cast upon, which amplified its power several thousand times. She called it the Megaspell. She intended it to only be used for healing magics, and never once thought that it could mean the end of civilization. In her desperation to stop the bloodshed, she gave the Megaspell to both sides, hoping that if each side had the power to end a battle with no losses, there would be no reason to fight any longer. But by this time, both the Ponies of Equestria and the Zebra tribes had become jaded and greedy. They turned this wonderful creation into a weapon. When they were used, the entire world ended in a flash of Balefire and pure magical energy. Then came the Enclave. The pegasi had been Equestria’s fighting elite when the Zebras began using dragons, so it makes sense that Cloudsdayle was the first place to be hit by the Balefire bombs. When it happened, the entire sprawling city disappeared in an enormous pillar of green fire. The pegasi, who were also responsible for the weather of Equestria, locked the cloud makers in full production, and cut themselves off from the rest of the world, vowing to return someday. They set up their own government, and kept to themselves for over 200 years. But then they kept their promise. When the Goddess and Red Eye conspired to take over the wasteland, the Enclave returned, but they intended to save nopony. Their first action upon returning was to destroy the Canterlot Ruins that had been tainted with the Pink Cloud, which was the most wicked megaspell the Zebras had been able to devise. It seemed tame enough, being just a pink mist, but everything it touched died, and was melted into the landscape. It even possessed the power to kill the once-thought immortal princesses. The Enclave slaughtered any that stood between them and total control, and they were only stopped when a brave little unicorn mare named LittlePip took control of the SPP and destroyed the cloud cover. It’s been years since LittlePip’s passing. The enclave is all but gone, and civilization is being rebuilt by the day. But it’s not enough for some ponies. The NLR, the New Lunar Republic, have been trying to take control of the new civilization to take it back to the ways of Old Equestria. But they aren’t the sole power in this world, not by a long shot. Xenon’s Legion, a band of Zebra Slaver Tribals are the greatest threat the wasteland could ever know. Xenon wants nothing more than to destroy the last of pony civilization, and bring them to heel as his slaves. Xenon was able to overcome Mr. House and the NLR at the battle of Hoof Dam, and took over New Pegasus, slaughtering thousands in the process. Nopony knows for sure what his next target is, or if the NLR will be able to hold him back this time, but there is one thing that everypony knows for sure. War Never Changes.
The courier Chapter 2 The courier The worst has a way of following good ponies. It wouldn’t matter if you spent your whole life helping those that couldn’t help themselves, someone would resent you for it. That was the kind of pony Hawkeye had always tried to be. Even before she knew her talent was shooting raiders, she tried her best to help in every situation. Her whole life had been spent at the behest of others, and she just could not understand why such a situation would befall her. They had come in the night. Zebra raiders from Xenon’s legion had crept into the town under the watch of the guard and cut their throats. Once the guards were done, the lined up everyone in the town and began to cherry-pick some as slaves while the rest were slaughtered in the most gruesome way possible. As young as she was, Hawkeye was of course on the list for the slaves. Her brother, Thunder Chaser, made a scene and created a way for her to escape. She was dead certain he was dead now, and it weighed heavily on her heart as she gripped the rifle sling in her mouth and ran for all she was worth. The combined weight of the rifle, pack, and her mind slowed her down, but she couldn’t drop any of them if she expected to survive the harsh desert of surrounding Las Pegasus. The smoke hanging thick in the air wasn’t doing much either. Every breath carried the scent of burning flesh that she knew was from the town of Pony Springs, which had been her home. Bullets from Legion Raider Snipers landed nearby her as she jumped behind a particularly large rock. She knew if she tried to run while the snipers had her in their sights she’d never make it. She rested her rifle on the rock as another bullet slammed into the stone and bounced away. Clear my mind. She looked down the scope toward the plumes in the distance. Pick my target. The armor of the Legionnaires stood out in stark contrast to the smoke rising behind them. Adjust for distance and wind. She raised her sight to aim slightly above and to the left of the sniper. Steady breath. She sucked in a deep breath and fought the urge to cough as the acrid stink filled her lungs. Fire. A shot rang out, startling her. The Legionnaire on the wall collapsed as his blood poured from the wound in his throat. Hawkeye adjusted herself and pulled out her sidearm as she looked for the shooter. “Hey, calm down. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve.” The voice was coming from a nearby rock. It sounded sincere, if not downright friendly. “My name’s Courier. I came to help.” Hawkeye say back at this. Nobody in the wasteland did anything for free. “I don’t believe you.” She called from her position. “Are you really in a position to doubt me? I did just save your life.” “You want me to believe you? Step out here with your weapons away.” The stallion did as was asked of him. She looked the brown-maned grey stallion over, taking particular note of his NLR ranger barding. “Goddesses, you look like hell.” He said, starting toward her. “Here, let me-“ “Stay back or I’ll shoot you!” She yelled, popping the hammer of her pistol back. Courier stopped in his tracks. “Alright, take it easy.” He levitated the canteen from his pack, and took a drink. “See? It’s safe.” He tossed it to her. Hawkeye hated to show weakness, but she was too thirsty to care. She drained the canteen quickly and tossed it back before putting her pistol away. “Alright, maybe you’re not so bad. But why come to help?” she asked him. “I’ve always wanted to make a difference out here. Even if it’s just helping random strangers.” “Helping ponies for nothing? You’re either a saint or an idiot.” Hawkeye snarked as Courier picked up the high-powered rifle and trotted to her. “I prefer to think saint, but some recent experience make me believe idiot.” He replied, looking away. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she replied indignantly. “I’ll tell you as we head for a town. It’s not safe out here. Legion doesn’t stop at one sniper.” Hawkeye wasn’t happy about this. A strange stallion comes trotting out of nowhere wearing NLR Ranger barding so long after they had left the region to the Legion. On top of that, he expended his supplies in the aid of others who had nothing to offer in return. It all seemed too good to be true, and she knew what happened to ponies who fell into those traps. They either end up sold as manual labor, become slaves to somepony, shot, or all. She had no other way to survive, and he seemed to want to help, so she followed him, but several paces behind and with her pistol loaded. Whatever was going to happen, she’d figure out what to do when it did.
The campChapter 3 The Camp Hawkeye awoke to the smell of bacon. After a brief moment admiring the delicious smell, she began to panic. The steel walls around her were completely foreign to her, and she was missing her gear. She leaped from the bed and immediately noticed all her belongings on a nearby nightstand. Looking around, it became apparent that if Courier was a kidnapper, he was a classy one at least. She hadn’t seen anything this well-kept and clean outside of pictures of the old world. A gentle knock came at the door. “Hawkeye, you awake? Breakfast is ready whenever you are.” Courier called through the steel door. Hawkeye felt somewhat more at ease. There was no way a door thin enough to talk through was meant to keep her prisoner. She grabbed her pistol for good measure and opened the door. The living space that she stepped into would be considered immaculate by wasteland standards. Despite being built entirely of steel, the entire room felt cozy. A wooden magazine rack sitting directly to the right of the door held several books of interest, but she wasn’t in a reading mood. Instead, her attention drifted to the bubbling fish tank built into the far wall. “Heh, like the fish do you?” She was startled by Courier’s voice behind her. She had thought he was elsewhere. “They were hard to get. Even Mister House had a problem finding exotic fish.” Hawkeye knew of House. There was hardly a pony that didn’t. He single-handedly built one of the most successful robotics companies under Applejack’s ministry during the war. Not only that, but he had managed to use the technology to survive the war and preserve Las Pegasus. Unfortunately for him, the Legion had proven to be more than he could handle. “They’re so pretty.” Hawkeye said with a childlike wonder. “So many different colors…” Courier chuckled again. “There’ll be plenty of time to watch them later. Come on, breakfast will only stay warm for so long.” He opened a set of doors revealing a ladder. Hawkeye was hesitant, but the scent of the fresh-cooked meat lured her to the surface. The hatch slammed down behind her as she looked around. A large water tank sat near the center of the encampment, about 15 feet from the edge of a small pond. Several small shacks sat scattered around the camp. She took special note of the old RV trailer holding all the supplies. There were a bunch of ponies sitting around the various campfires in the area. She also noticed that each pony had a bedroll. “Hey,” she asked. “Why are all these ponies sleeping outside? There are plenty of buildings.” Courier just sighed. “Well, we have to use what little space we have for storage. Each building has its purpose, and that means we have to sleep outside unless the weather means otherwise. Besides that, having everyone outside helps to keep an eye on the Khans.” “The Khans?” she questioned curiously. “Yeah. We’re not too far from Red Rock Canyon, their home camp.” Courier pointed toward a gash in the rock in the distance. The walls of the canyon were a distinct red hue. “The Khans allied themselves with the Legion during the fight, but now the Legion is trying to wipe them out. That means they can’t get out and get supplies normally, so they’ve become predatory. If we let them, they’d overrun our camp and steal everything we have. Oh, and they LOVE mares, so don’t get too far outside the perimeter.” Hawkeye shuddered at the thought. She tried to remember what she knew about the Khans. They were warriors first, and everything else second. Each male was required to be beaten within an inch of his life before he was considered a man, and those who died during the ritual weren’t even given a funeral. She had heard the bodies were fed to the dogs. She snapped back to reality, realizing she’d been ignoring Courier this whole time. “…trying to convince them to join us, but they’re just too proud. At least as far as their leader is concerned anyway. Several of the ponies here left the tribe to fight with us.” “What exactly are you trying to do here?” Hawkeye asked. “Simple. We kick the legion in the ass whenever we can, steal whatever they had, and leave before they can track us. It’s our way of life.” “I didn’t think anyone was out here opposing the Legion anymore.” “Not many. We keep ourselves under wraps. If we see someone with promise, we take them in, feed them, arm them, and then we’re one more strong. So…” Courier gave her a plate of meat with a smile. “What do you say? Feel like joining us?” Hawkeye sat and stared at the plate. There was nothing more she wanted in the world besides vengeance against the bastards that had taken everything from her. But she didn’t know exactly where she was, or who most of these ponies were, or if they were really who they claimed to be. Her thoughts were interrupted by a young mare who came running up to Courier. “Sir! The scouts just sent a report. The Ponysprings group of slaves are being moved into Las Pegasus right now.” She produced a series of three photographs and handed them to Courier. Hawkeye got over his shoulder and started looking at them. “Crap. I thought we’d have more time. I guess we’ll just have to let these go.” Courier sounded upset, but Hawkeye paid no mind as she nearly fell over at what she saw in the photo. Her brother was alive! And he was in Las Pegasus. She grabbed the plate up. “Damn right I’ll fight.” She said, taking a bite. “They’ll pay. They’ll all pay.”
The planChapter 4 The last of the legion patrol fell as Hawkeye reloaded her rifle. She grinned. They hadn’t noticed her position even one time during the whole ordeal. She had been worried that her skills were failing since there hadn’t been many targets around the town for the last few days. Once reloaded, she laid the rifle back into position and watched as Courier led a small band into the middle of the now-quiet killzone to release the slaves. They set about cutting the ropes binding them, and then gathering the legion supplies off the bodies. She kept a careful eye on the slaves, as the legion had been catching on recently. Several times the slaves would be Legion moles, and would grab a machete or a gun as quickly as they were released. This was not one of those times, however. She packed up her gear and went down to meet the rest of the team. “You’re still up?” Courier stood in the doorway of the room she had been given in the underground bunker. She wasn’t entirely sure why she rated a room while the others slept outside, but she had a fair guess. She wasn’t sure what to think of it just yet though. “Yeah.” She was looking over the map of Vegas a scav team had brought back from the ruins of the old Repconn building. Several places had been marked by some of the escaped slaves that had been picked up earlier, each one detailing Legion activities within the wall. “It’s a bad plan, Hawk. You know that.” Courier walked in and looked over her shoulder at the map. She had drawn several lines, and marked out several as well. He didn’t know what they meant, but he knew she was planning to break in somehow. “So I’m just supposed to let them have my brother?” She laid down the pencil. She knew she wouldn’t be able to think properly now. She was lost somewhere between soul-crushing sorrow and righteous fury, as well as aggravation with Courier. He knew how important this was to her. “No, that’s not what I meant.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I want to help you get your brother back, but not if it means you getting hurt. We just have to wait for an opportunity.” “Screw that. The Legion doesn’t give opportunities.” “That’s what everyone said about the NCR. House, too.” Hawkeye glared at him. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t willing to admit it. He sighed and began to walk out of the room. “Goodnight, Hawk. Sleep well.” Morning came, but Hawkeye never noticed it. She turned over for what felt like the millionth time, and sighed again. Her pillow was soaked, and her face tear-stained. She sat upright and threw the blanket off before stepping out of bed. There had to be a way in, there just HAD to! She looked over at her rifle hanging on the wall. For all of her skill, and its ability to end lives, she still didn’t have what it took. She looked at the door as it slid open. “Good morni-… oh no.” Courier stepped in and wrapped her in a hug. “We’ll get him, I promise you that. But throwing away both our lives won’t help him. We have to be smart. There will be a way.” She held back her tears, not willing to let him see her at her weakest. Pulling back, she simply gestured at the door. “Alright.” He said. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” As soon as the door slid shut, she bucked the wall, leaving a dent. She was furious with herself for pushing everyone away. She had done it all her life, and now was no different. Courier reached out to help her at her moment of need every time, but she simply pushed him away. She needed to stop thinking about it. She turned her eyes again to the rifle hanging on the wall. She could blow off steam at the range, but that would mean going outside, and that wasn’t something she felt like doing. The sparkling water of the fish tank in the wall drew her attention, and she walked over to it. She sat on the cold metal floor and watched the fish swim about. It was oddly calming to her. She didn’t think about the world, the Legion, her brother, or Courier. Everything else melted away as the fish swam. She decided that she wanted fish of her own.
