Once upon a time, in the magical, broken land of Equestria, there lived a Goddess.

The Goddess was a friend to all. She sent her many children to the corners of the magical wastes to spread her light. She healed the sick, fed the hungry and saved the lost. Her brilliant light grew to softly embrace all who were willing to see it, to accept her love, to join with all of her children in glorious Unity.

There were some, however, who did not see her greatness. Some in the broken land were so scarred, so hostile to the thought of a kind hoof, that they rejected the Goddess. They rejected her children, her Unity. The Goddess tried to help them, but her gifts were scorned. Her messengers were driven away.

Her children were attacked.

The kind Goddess was deeply saddened by this. She wanted so desperately to help all of the ponies, but she could not allow her children to come to harm. She taught her children to be strong, unwavering in their purpose. She taught them how to stay safe, how to shield themselves, and how to stop those that would harm them. She would show the ponies of the wasteland that her Unity was great and powerful.

The Goddess protects her children in Unity. We are all sisters in Unity. We are united beyond mere mortal bonds. We do not die. We do not age. We share our thoughts and feelings. One’s strength is shared, one’s weaknesses supported. Lesser ponies are brought to us and given new life in the Goddess, in all of us, in our Unity.

The Unity will save us all.

There was grass in my face. There should not have been grass in my face. There were not many things that should have been in my face, and grass was not one of them. Squinting, I looked around, trying to gauge my surroundings. Brown and rocky walls indicated that I was currently inhabiting a cave, and the warm crackling from my side indicated that I was next to a fire. Strange. I reached out to my sisters, wondering why I wasn’t joined already, and…

I didn’t find any. None of my sisters were near. I tried to ask the Goddess what was happening, but I couldn’t even make the connection. I listened for consensus and heard silence. Panicking, I rose to my hooves and illuminated the area with a light from my horn. Nopony here. I had been lying on a simple bedroll far too small for me, and there was an identical one across the fire with a saddle bag next to it. What was this?

I looked left to find the cave exit, the night’s oppressive darkness refusing to budge even for my powerful light. No matter, once I found my sisters I would have little need for my eyes. I galloped to the mouth of the cave, spread my wings and fell as pain bolted through my entire left side. Wincing, I looked back to see my green wing bent in a direction it was not meant to bend. I winced as I folded it in and made my way back into the cave.

Time to take stock. I was injured in a strange place with nopony around. I could feel neither my sisters’ nor the Goddess’ presence. The logical thing to do would be to head towards Maripony. The closer I got to home, the more likely I would happen across a sister or one of the Goddess’ pony followers, and then everything would be alright.

Without the benefit of Unity’s consensus, I felt a seed of doubt that my simple plan was flawed. Still, it was the best I had. I could not remember what I was doing prior to waking up, nor could I remember how my wing had been injured so. I sat on the mysterious bedroll, claiming it for Unity, as I tried to remember where I was in relation to home. No matter how I focused, where the memories of yesterday should have been there was only fog. I focused my thoughts inwards, blocking out the material world.

Time passed slowly in the dim light. I didn’t hear the approaching hoof steps, but I did feel the presence of the pony standing in the mouth of the cave. My eyes snapped open and my head swung towards the intruder. The unicorn mare was clearly, and rightfully, nervous as I stared at her. Her pink hide was covered lightly with leather, and she wore a small arm on her side; she did not threaten me. Still, alone as I was, I tensed up when she opened her mouth to speak.

“You’re awake then I see. If y’all’d like to turn your spell off, I’d be a mite more comfortable.” Her voice was smooth and disarming, but I kept my guard up.

This is a simple utility spell. If we meant harm, we would have inflicted it. To add emphasis, I added some more power to the floating orb. The mare’s eyes narrowed as she pointed a hoof at me.

“Your lips didn’t move.” She pointed specifically at my mouth. “Why didn’t your lips move?”

Telepathy is the most basic of our powers. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. We will ask the questions. Who are you? Who do you work for? It would not do to have one of Red-Eye’s ponies find me in this state.

She hesitated for a moment, then said with confidence, “My name is Moon Shine, and my boss is small, made of metal and lives on the end of a bottle.” What? “Means I don’t work for nopony but myself.” Oh. “And since we’re both polite ponies here,” she added with a grin, “why don’t y’all give me your name as well?”

My… name? That was not something I’d needed since before. In the Unity, there was no need for such distinction. We are, we… you may call us Alicorn if you must. She raised an eyebrow, and I found myself keen to change the subject. Are you the one who brought us here?

“What’s with the ‘us’?” she asked as she walked to the other bedroll. “Yep, that was little ol’ me. You’re heavy, you know that?” I ignored the blood rising to my face, it was clearly a reaction to the fire. “Found you over in yonder hills and thought to myself, gee, what’s a big pony like her doing all alone and unconscious? I couldn’t call myself a good pony if I simply left you there, now could I?” She smiled at me as though it were obvious. She blew a strand of her yellow mane out of her face as she sat down opposite me and pulled a tin can out of the saddle bag with her magic. “Want some?”

No, we will… I thought for a moment. I did not know where I was or whether there were pockets of radiation nearby, and I was disconnected from my usual source of food. We… yes, we require sustenance.

She raised an eyebrow. “Please.” She levitated out a second tin and a tin opener, and got to work on opening the first tin.

We said we require sustenance. Do not withhold our meal.

“Hey now,” she said over a mouthful of cold beans, “you may be big and powerful, but that don’t excuse you for bad manners. Come on, don’t want our relationship to start out muddy just ‘cause you ain’t used to asking for what you need.” Our relationship?

We… may we please have some? Moon Shine smiled, opened the second tin and levitated it toward me. I picked it up with my magic, my powerful green glow replacing her softer blue aura. The contents of the tin were plain, just beans in a tomato sauce. I swallowed the food in one, the portions clearly not designed for one of my stature.

Moon Shine chuckled. “Downed that a bit quick. Want another?” She offered another out of her bag, and I wondered just how many she had in there.

We would like another. I then quickly added, please. She passed it along and once again I ate it in one. The 200-year-old beans were not what I was used to, but definitely had a taste all their own. I peaked at her bag and saw only a single tin left. It would not do to eat it now, if that was the only known source of food around. While my hunger was not fully sated, it would do for now.

“Got any more questions,” she asked over a mouthful of beans, “or can I get to mine?”

Just one. Where are we?

She finished her tin, scraping the last of its contents into her mouth with her levitated spoon. “We,” she pointed to herself and then to me, “are in the wonderful Vanhoover area. To the south we have the scenic Smoky Mountain, bring your foals. To the east, the Galloping Graves. If you look to our north, you’ll find snow, frozen water and solid cold and to the west is what we used to call the sea.” She sighed wistfully. “Lovely place. Be downright picturesque if it weren’t for the scorps and the raiders and the killer trees.”

Killer… trees?

“Yep.” She nodded. “Killer trees. One minute you’re grabbing some shade, blessing your luck at finding a tree with actual leaves. Next, glomp. Eaten by a tree.” She tutted, shaking her head. “Terribly embarrassing way to go.”

I didn’t remember anything like that. I couldn’t have been here long. Where did these -

“Ah!” She raised her hoof to my muzzle, and I imagined the gesture would be more effective on those that used their mouths to speak. “You said one more question, and you asked it. Now it’s my turn.” She pulled back and looked at me sideways, as if trying to figure out if I’d interrupt her again. “Big question. Big, big big question.” She pointed a forehoof at my head, then at my sides, then over all of me. It made me feel rather strange.

“You have a horn. You also have wings. And you’re huge.” She leaned closer. “What are you?”

You’ve never seen an alicorn before?

“That’s what you said your name was.” She frowned. “Didn’t think you’d name yourself after your race though. I’d ask what an alicorn is, but with you sitting in front of me it seems a moot point.”

Have you not heard of Unity? Of the Goddess? If this pony did not know, then it was likely that nopony around Vanhoover knew of us. I could spread the word of the Goddess’ love and glory without interference from those pesky Steel Rangers, without prior prejudices against the Goddess’ children!

“The cult?” Horseapples. “Heard of them, alright. You ain’t with them crazies, right?” She looked me over, and I felt her become less convinced of her own statement. “Right?”

We… She did not know of alicorns, but knew of Unity. Please tell us of Unity. We wish to know what your experience of us, them, has been.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Not sure if I should. Y’all ain’t gonna blast me if I badmouth them, are you?” Should I? I shook my head. It was important to learn what the locals thought of us. “They’re kinda laughed at. They got their confessors ranting on soap boxes in the middle of towns about how the Goddess has returned and will save us all. Get mighty angry if anyone disagrees. Guards usually break things up at that point, throw the cultist in jail or simply kick them outta town.”

Hmm. Unity was not respected here. If I were to use my visage to inspire ponies to join, they may respond as they did to the Unity they already know. Still… Where might I find one of these confessors?

Moon Shine scratched her chin for a moment. “Think there’s one in Broken Pillar, just over yonder.” She pointed in the direction of the cave mouth. “I was heading there anyways, so I could take y’all if you’d like.”

Yes, please, that would be appreciated. From there, I could find directions to my sisters, or to Maripony, or even just the core region of Equestria. Perhaps this pony could be persuaded to join us; her knowledge of this region at least may be useful.

“Can’t go tonight, though.” She stretched her hind legs and pulled a blanket out of her bag. While I wondered how it fit in there, she continued. “Only got the one blanket I’m afraid, and I’m just a little pony.” She winked playfully as she tucked herself into her bed. “We’ll be able to go in the morning, it’s only about a three hour trot.” She yawned as she made herself comfortable, and I felt that yawn making its way out of my own mouth too. “Got a talisman at the entrance, it’ll make a sound if anything comes in so don’t worry about that.”

I lay down on the bedroll, aware that I was still two sizes too large for it. Despite the uneasiness of being alone, the presence of the mare next to me was strangely comforting. Doing my best to calm myself, I closed my eyes and made my way to the land of dreams.

“Good night, Alicorn.”

Wind. Rain. Lightning. Thunder.

Dive!

Traveling by hoof was strange. Under normal circumstances, we would travel in a wing of three alicorns or be teleported by one of our purple sisters. We would certainly never walk anywhere, and definitely not in the company of one so much slower than us.

“Celestia’s hoof, Alicorn, some of us don’t have freakishly long legs like you!” Moon Shine playfully complained. It had been rather frustrating to have to constantly slow or stop to allow her to catch up. Had I not needed her for directions, I would have left her behind. As it was, her shorter legs and over-wariness led to many a period of idling around. She was worried about ‘critters’, apparently not understanding that my presence guaranteed her safety.

After an hour or so of travelling, we came to an old highway littered with broken down wagons. I made to simply carry on over it, but Moon Shine called me back with an enthusiastic “Hoi!”. Looking back, I saw her opening several trunks. “Got a stash here somewhere, if nopony’s come and helped themselves to it.”

As she set about systematically rummaging through every wagon she could find, I took a moment to examine the environment more carefully. There was significantly more grass here than near Maripony, and the air felt devoid of any significant radiation levels. I would have to find something radioactive to power myself up if I was going to be here long.

“Dang it, not this one either.” She tossed an empty suitcase off the side of the road. “Don’t you worry, it’ll be worth it when I find it!” As she continued her search, I turned back to mine. The only noise around was the shuffling of pink hooves on tarmac and the slight wind funneling through the derelict wagons. There was a subtle smell of sulphur nearby, but it seemed too faint to be of interest.

My ear twitched. There was something behind that wagon, the one Moon Shine was rummaging through. Time slowed as her smiling head emerged from the trunk, unaware of the mutated monster rising over her. In an instant, my horn flashed and I threw a magical spear straight through the…

Radroach. Strange. Moon Shine stared at me, wide blue eyes twitching. I looked at her plainly. There was a radroach approaching you. She turned to the pathetic insect, its legs still spasming erratically. I placed a second, smaller bolt through it to put it out of its misery, and Moon Shine didn’t even flinch. She simply stared at me with either horror or awe. You act as though you’ve never seen a pony destroy another creature with a thought.

She turned away from me, slowing her breathing in an apparent attempt to calm herself down. She muttered something under breath, but I didn’t catch it. Turning back, she looked over me again. “You’re a scary lass, you know that?” I imagined I was to those unaware of Unity’s glory. “I found the stuff!” She pulled a saddlebag out of the trunk and deftly donned it, balancing out her other bag. She then levitated a large bundle of cloth over to me, and I took it within my magic.

What is this? I carefully unfolded it, it seemed like a delicate thing.

“A present. Never fit me, or anypony I knew, but it seemed a waste to just sell it.” After some struggling, I unfurled the midnight blue dress in front of me. “Should do well to hide them wings of yours.”

We… What? Did she just give me… a dress? Why would, I, we, I tried to compose myself. We have no need of such a garment. Our inherent beauty is enough. To my chagrin, she chuckled at me!

“It ain’t for prettying you up. The ponies round Broken Pillar are a cautious folk, not fond of outsiders. They’ll tolerate ‘em normally, but you?” She pointed to my wings. “You’d be too much for them. A freakishly large unicorn, okay. A freakishly large unicorn with wings, and they’ll be grabbing their pitchforks before you know it.”

I am not afraid of villagers with pitchforks.

“And I don’t think you have any reason to be, if’n they were just attacking you. But you want to look around their town, ask some questions, find your cultist. You can’t do that if the locals don’t want you around.” She scrunched her lips slightly, and added, “you’ll also want to cut back on the mind-speaking. Like, completely.”

Hmm. This may be harder than I thought. Moon Shine, we have a request. I thought I saw a flicker of shock on her confident face, but it disappeared so quickly that I may have been imagining it.

“Okay. What’s that then?”

We require your assistance with… talking to the townsponies. If not scaring them is as important as you say, then it may be wise if I were to limit my interactions with them to the absolute minimum. It pained me to admit a shortcoming, but it was necessary to complete my objective of returning home.

She smiled happily at me as she answered. “That won’t be a problem. Talking is my special talent, after all!” She turned and wiggled her flank at me, showing off her microphone cutie mark. Once again I felt blood rushing to my head and was eager to change the topic.

Well then. I shall… I mean, we will find a secluded spot to change. Damn it, where was this ‘I’ nonsense coming from? I needed to find my sisters’ embrace soon.

I heard a cheerful shout of “Don’t be long!” coming from the highway as I found a small spot to change in private. The dress did have a certain aesthetic appeal, with pretty lace around the edges and a modestly low front. It was sentimental of me to do so, but I made an effort to clean my forehooves before slipping them through the sleeves, which came to just above the knee. I winced as the delicate garment pulled over my broken wing, clinging to it painfully. A small adjustment alleviated the pressure, nopony would notice it being slightly lopsided. I pulled my long mane free, wishing there were a mirror nearby…

Hmph! As if it mattered. The important thing was that it covered my wings, and a glance back confirmed that it did. I walked back to Moon Shine, who was jamming a rod down the barrel of her gun. Maintenance, I assumed. “Won’t be a sec, just gotta clear some of the grime!” I took a moment to inspect the firearm; it would be wise to know how capable she might be should I have need to defend her.

The revolver was black with an ivory mouth grip, and there was a small cylindrical contraption attached underneath the barrel. It was smaller, thinner than most revolvers I’d seen. While I wanted to write it off as a pea-shooter, there was something about it that made it impossible to think of it as such. It had a sort of… aura.

“Like it?” Moon Shine said with a smirk. I jumped, unaware that I’d been staring. “Don’t worry about it, she has that effect on everypony.” She pulled the cleaning rod out and placed it back in her saddlebag, then got to reloading. “This here’s an IF-19 Opal. Only forty of ‘em ever made. Sleek, unique, and packs a hell of a punch for such a little blaster.” She turned her eyes to me and my horn. “Probably give that lump of bone on your head a challenge, that’s for sure.”

You think your little gun can compare to our magic? I was beginning to think it could. Prove it!

“Alright then.” She turned, scanning the area. Within seconds, I imagined an exclamation point above her head as she spotted something. “This way!” We trotted over to where she pointed, and I found myself getting rather excited. I’d never been in a competition before.

As we approached the rise, Moon Shine stopped me and motioned for me to get down. I did so, my blood pumping even more. How will we do this? See who can shoot the furthest? Destroy the most wagons? I tried to curb my enthusiasm, but she just put a hoof to her lips and ‘shushed’ me, pointing to the north of the highway. There, I saw five figures approaching.

“Raiders. Shit. If any of them’s out of twenty nine, they’re gonna find us.” She levitated a pair of binoculars out of her saddle bag. Just how much did she have in there? I turned my eyes towards these raiders. All I could make out was that they had an affinity for spikes. “Shit, that one’s got a PipBuck. They’re gonna see that roach, then go looking for whoever killed it.”

As she continued worriedly ranting, I stood back up. Calmly, I walked back to the middle of the road and stood atop one of the wagons, head held high. I heard Moon Shine squeak out, “what are you doing?”, but I avoided looking back. She was only lightly armoured, and it would be easier to fight without having to worry about her.

The five raiders swaggered up closer, stopping about three wagons ahead of me. I hadn’t heard Moon Shine since her squeak, and could only assume that she was hiding. One of the raiders, a large red earth pony buck, jumped onto a wagon in the same manner as I had. He had a cocky grin and several missing teeth.

“Well, looky here, ponies!” He pointed at me with his filth encrusted hoof. “We gots ourselves a hero!” He had a sledgehammer on his back, I would have to take him out first. The others had an assortment of rusty looking guns, nothing too threatening. “Now toots, I know you think you’re all tough and shit, but there’s five of us and only one of you.”

Perhaps you should come back when the odds are more in your favour.

The five recoiled as my mind touched theirs. “The fuck was that?” The buck looked nervously at his companions, then steeled himself and stared back at me. “Ice this bitch!”

On ‘ice’, I had my shield up. When he finished his curse, I loosed the first of my magical bolts. It struck the stallion in the head, but his metal helmet absorbed enough of the blow to stop it from being fatal. As I charged up for my second shot, the first round of bullets started pummeling my shield.

Damn, were guns always this powerful? Without my sisters there to support me, I found holding my shield harder than I’d expected. Had I made a mistake? I didn’t have time to think of an answer as the red buck launched himself at me, hammer in mouth. I deftly dodged to the side, landing on the roof of a second wagon. I brought my horn up to bear and aimed a magical bolt at his neck. One flash, and his blood decorated the two hundred year old road.

A unicorn mare had taken the opportunity my distraction had created and blasted both barrels of her sawn-off shotgun into the side of my shield from point blank range. My shield flickered as I felt the strain on my horn, a dull throbbing starting at the base. I pushed through and placed a third magical spear through the unfortunate mare’s skull, ending her life.

The remaining three, two earth ponies and a unicorn, were less enthusiastic in their assault. One peppered me with tiny rounds from a submachine gun, while the others were taking potshots with single shot weapons. Learning my lesson, I jumped down behind the wagon for cover and aimed another magical spear. It hit the earth pony with the submachine gun, forcing him behind cover but not killing him. The other two were firing in synch, one would pop out as the other dropped down to reload. I wasn’t sure I could hold my shield long enough to get around and flank them, so I dropped behind the wagon and searched for something to give me an advantage.

My inspection of the surroundings did not go unpunished. I’d clearly stayed down too long, as the earth pony with the submachine gun appeared in front of me, barrel pointing directly at my eyes. I felt magic coming from his forehoof, and then a hail of bullets directly at my head. My shield held, barely, as the fiend emptied his magazine into me. When his gun clicked empty, my shield flickered out. Upon seeing his grin, reaching for another clip, I panicked.

My bloody horn stuck out the back of his neck. He gurgled something, spitting blood over my head. I pushed the buck away and he fell to the ground, clutching the hole where his windpipe used to be. Time seemed to slow as I watched him die, as he watched his life blood spill out in front of him. I’d never killed like that before…

And if I didn’t get my head down, I would never kill like that again! A large round flew past my head, barely missing. I turned to see my attacker, not bothering to duck down and simply reloading where she stood. I froze. I could do nothing as she floated a round into her rifle, as she cocked the gun, as a red dot appeared on her forehead.

As her brains came out the other side.

I was beginning to like Moon Shine.

The fifth and final raider tossed her gun away and threw her hooves in the air. “I surrender! Please!” She looked frantically between myself and her new assailant. “Don’t kill me!”

I had no idea what to do, no Goddess to tell me how to handle this unknown situation. I just stared at her, blood dripping down my horn. With each of my breaths, she shook more. I began to worry if she might take her gun again, try to finish what she had started, but Moon Shine appeared and took control of the situation.

“Easy there, easy.” She kicked the various weapons around away from the raider, keeping her revolver trained on her. “Here’s what’s gonna happen.” I stepped over the bodies and walked to her side, hoping that my presence would give her an edge. “You’re gonna hand over any weapons you got, and walk down that road for fifteen minutes. We’re going to loot your friends stuff, leave your gun here,” she pointed at the rifle she’d been using, “and be on our way. After that, you’ll be free to collect it. Then, you ditch the spikes, find some civilised ponies to socialise with, and sign on as a guard or something.” She leaned in closer. “If either of us find you raiding again, we won’t be this kind.” She slapped the mare’s rump. “Now get!”

The raider took one last fearful look at me and bolted, weaving between the ancient wagons. Neither of us said a word until the mare was out of sight, at which point Moon Shine let out an exhausted sigh and fell flat on her rump.

“Oh, Luna’s beard, that was terrifying!” She was half panting and half laughing as she spoke. “I was gonna run, take a detour, maybe barter for passage if we got caught, but you!” She prodded my chest with a hoof. “You just mosied on up and let them shoot you! I thought you were gonna die!”

Despite everything, I found myself laughing with her. Me? Fall at the hands of those beasts? Perish the thought.

“When that twenty-niner popped up and S.A.T.S.’ed you, and your shield went down, I thought that was it! Why did you lower it?” She looked expectantly at me, and I found myself suddenly uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell her that it was because I was unable to hold it.

I was… charging up my next bolt. I wanted to make it powerful enough to go through their armour. I lied, and something about Moon Shine’s expression said that she knew it. She didn’t call me out on it, but I knew she knew.

“Well, alright then.” She let out some more laughter, then tried to calm herself with some deep breaths. “Okay, let’s see what our violent friends have for us.” She looked at me, at the red coating on my horn with a sympathetic smile. “Something tells me you ain’t used to looting.” I was about to say something, but she interrupted. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it. Doubt they’ll have any saddlebags to fit you anyways. I’ll see if I can find a rag to wipe that blood off with.”

When Moon Shine had finished her looting, apparently quite happy with her haul, and given me some fabric to clean myself with, we got back onto our journey. The small mare looked odd with several guns poking out of her bags. “Damn Stable-Tec with their damn impenetrable PipBucks.” I looked back to the highway, seeing the hopefully ex-raider running back for her gun. For some reason, I wished her luck.

The pair of us carried on walking west towards Broken Pillar, and I stayed closer to my companion this time. Knowing that I was less capable than usual, I started to share some of her caution. Still, apart from grass and cacti, there was nothing to harry us as we made our way. Moon Shine attempted to make casual conversation with me, asking about my taste in soda and talking about guns, but she quickly discovered that I was not a great conversationalist. Living in a Unity where everypony knows each other’s thoughts did not breed good talkers.

As the sun came overhead, lighting up the entire cloud cover, I saw my first sign of civilization in this part of the wasteland. Broken Pillar, it appeared, was made by using wood and scrap metal to rebuild the broken parts of a pre-war village, with a large, empty fountain the middle and a barbed-wire topped wooden fence around the perimeter. There was one way in and out, a large gate with a painted sign hanging over it.

‘Welcome to Pony’s Broken Pillar!’

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Extra Special

Well ain’t you an extra special little snowflake? You have gained a point in perception.