Fallout Equestria: The Long Road Ahead

Chapter 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.”