Montgomery, Missouri
It’s been two days.

He’s been gone for two days.

Dad’s already called the cops, and they have started to look for him, but I’ve been getting the worse feeling in the pit of my stomach recently.

Dad’s been doing his best. Keeping a stiff upper lip, but we can all feel it. I’m surprised that Yuri’s been behaving as well as he has. Ted even kids a bit about how Jerry got abducted by aliens or sent to that show he watches, like those stories he sometimes talks about he finds online.

The problem is that with everything that’s been going on, the only sign anything bad had happened recently was a set of tire tracks on the road stopping suddenly and a strange scortchmark. It was like someone made a bonfire on the road, and the car just stopped right before it. We can’t tell if it was Jerry’s car, but I can’t help but think it was.

I went downstairs for breakfast. I was the first one out of the five… four of us to do so. Thank God it’s a Saturday. No school, no work. Just me sitting around and playing some games or hanging out with my friends… at least that was the plan.

I looked at the table as I made my breakfast and sat down. I looked at the hardwood table top as I looked at the names we etched into the wood to show who sat where, with one area left blank. We made the table ourselves when me, Yuri and Ted got old enough to hammer in nails.

Dad cussed up a storm when his thumb got hit three times helping us.

Jerry wasn’t very good with the cutting and all that, so he was the one who came up with the idea of carving our names into the table and took care of the staining.

The only problem we had was that one of the legs where half an inch short, so we have to use an old coaster to keep it from wobbling, but besides that, it’s a great table.

I fought to keep my mind away from darker places, like what we would do if he is…

No, I have to focus on what is going on right now. How is the cereal I’m eating? I think it’s Cheerio’s, but it’s kind of mushy now.

I take a spoonful of it and bring it to my mouth.

The milk is warm, and I can’t swallow it, so I spit the mash back into my bowl. Looking at the clock, I realize that I had been looking at the table for a full hour.

“Why did you have to yell at him, Kenny?” I berated myself as I brought the bowl to the kitchen to wash it out. I know that the argument we had a few nights ago had nothing to do with what happened, but…

…but he’s gone.

////////////////////////////

My legs hurt. My knees are shot. And I feel like my heart is going to tear out of my chest. That being said, this is actually the high point for me. I can actually sit down and rest. Well, when I can bend my legs, I’ll be able to sit down.

I waddle off the pile of rubble, not looking at what was making the squishy sound, as I saw Flure looking right at me. She had a weird look on her face. I’d almost think it was fear, but I doubt that. I looked at the room, and noticed that it was actually a lot more of a mess than I thought it would be, you know, for someone “dropping in”.

I know it was a bad joke, but I’m going to chalk that up to the endorphins.

“Are you alright, Jerry?” She asked me with a concerned tone to her voice. A lot more than I thought she would have for me after only a day, but I smiled at her and nodded. I looked on the floor and saw a filly on the ground, bound in ropes.

“B-boss, is she…?”

She pulled out a small knife and handed it to me with her magic, a small smile on her face. “No, she’s alive.” She didn’t say anything else as she left the room, most likely to meet up with Sunday and DA up the stairs. I focused on the small body in front of me, looking over her carefully.

She was a bundle of gray fur as I slowly cut the bindings on her legs and muzzle. I was surprised how still she kept as I finished freeing her. Her eyes were almost lifeless. They were a green that was horribly muted as she looked at me. It was like she was asking me to end it. I can’t imagine what this little girl had to put up with.

“There we go. On your feet.” I fought the tears and anger I wanted to give to the Bad Dreams as I helped the little one to her hooves. She looked at her hooves with a look of defeat and shame.

“Hey, kiddo. Don’t look so sad. You don’t have to worry about them hurting you again.” I tried to reassure her as I patted her back. She didn’t even try to get away from me. I looked down at the ground as I tried to come up with something. She lived in a world without love, without warmth. How do you reach someone who has had so much horrible things happen to them?

She needed someone to care for her. I picked her up and set her on my back. It surprised her a bit. I could tell from a small yip she gave as I rested her behind my head, like I was letting her play piggy back. “What’s your name, Kiddo?”

She didn’t answer, but I almost felt like she couldn’t answer it. I reached back and scratched underneath her jaw as her head rested on my left shoulder. She finally showed some kind of signs of actual warmth. “No name, huh? Well, I’ll call you… Rebecca. Are you alright with that?”

She slowly nodded her head as I stopped scratching her chin. Her hooves tightened slightly as I moved my body around on the floor. Soon, I was laying on my stomach as Rebecca laid on my back, tears slowly dropping down on me. “Yeah, it’s okay to cry, Kiddo. It shows a lot of strength to show that you are hurting.” I told her as she began to nuzzle against me. I smiled as I closed my eyes for a bit. “I’ll be here when you need me. Just wake me up when you do.”

I didn’t realize how tired I was till my eyes almost slammed shut, and I began to actually sleep.

///////////////////////////////////

Hello, faithful readers from other dimensions! I’d like to welcome you to my portion of the story. Discord’s point of view, or P.O.V., if you will.

Now, at the moment, my P.O.V. is black as night, as the Fat Boy had closed his eyes. Now, you may think that dear Luna was the only creature (from our reality, at least) that could interact with others in their sleep. Oh, but you would be sorely mistaken. See, I get some very refreshing ideas when I take strolls through people’s subconscious, even some grand new pranks to play on others.

Regretfully, I have other matters to attend to.

I used a smidge of chaotic energy from my host to open a link. But not the kind of link you would assume I would make in the dream scape.

Before I continue, I have a question for you, dear readers. Where do stories come from? Now, this isn’t to belittle or diminish the authors of such great bits of fiction such as Carrol or Twain, but all stories have, no matter how fictitious it is to you, a hint of other realities. The writers and storytellers are a bit more in connection to other realms than one would think. This is one reason why writers of fiction seem so out of it at times, or are just plain nuts, but in a good way.

Now, with this connection, someone like me can use the subconscious to go from world to world. Now, while Fat Boy isn’t a writer, he is something just as good. He’s from out of town!

Oh, Joy! (And I say that unironicly, by the by)

As I settle in Fat Boy’s subconscious, I realized that I had to stay near his spirit, or his zoa, if you will. Regretfully, this settling manifested as my top portion of my body being attached to him by his wrist where the blasted Pip-Boy would be. This is something that I would have to deal with at a later point.

I began to move myself and Jerry’s zoa through the mists of his mind till we began to reach the corridors connecting all the dreamscapes of the known realms. (Known realms as relative to myself. If I was to be fair, I could probably have more connections if I put the effort to it. Why, I remember walking these corridors with Luna. It would make these seemingly endless corridors seem insignificant, but I digress). I moved “us” forward, but it didn’t take long before Jerry stirred awake. He couldn’t do anything more than talk and witness what I was doing, but I wished that he stayed asleep.

“Where are we?” He asked.

I didn’t have time to explain everything, but I did answer him. “Long story short? We’re in the dreamscape, and we’re going to talk with a few friends.”

His mind, as I could tell, was swimming with questions as we continued forward, and while the confusion was a kind of chaos I enjoyed, it was akin to junk food. I needed substance, and all the technical work I used on the glorified wrist watch did drain me considerably. The resulting fight just barely evened out what I used. “Just so you know, this is how your dreams are going to be like for a while, so please, don’t embarrass me with too many questions, at least till after you wake up.”

“No promises.”

Oh, now this is going to be interesting.

We continued down the corridors till we finally came to the entrance.

“Is that a window?” Jerry asked as he looked at the portal.

“Yes. Doorways are far too boring and predictable. Windows?” I laughed as I snapped my fingers to open the window. “They are far from that. Plus, it always feels like I’m sneaking into someone’s home, ready to do something mischievous.”

“Or peeping in on people during “private time”. Don’t you think that’s a bit… pervy, old man?” Jerry asked as we climbed through the window.

“Oh, now you’re into giving me nicknames?”

“It’s not like you’ve been afraid to give me a few… like “Fat Boy” or “Lard Butt”.” He huffed at me in a whisper.

“I have never called you Lard Butt.” I corrected. Yes, I gave Jerry the new Title on his pip boy, but I never verbally called him it. Thankfully, he didn’t bother rebuking me as we stood up. The room we were in was almost completely dark, save for the window and a small sphere of light ahead of us that showed the marble floor beneath our feet. We walked forward to it as I heard giggling from the darkness. Jerry, unaccustomed to it, began to turn his head (the only movement he had control of) trying to keep track of the source.

We stepped into the light as I grinned.

“Hello, my friends, fiends and fellows of chaos! It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” I said with a grin, my arms spread open as I looked into the darkness.

“Oh, is that Discord I hear?” A voice, more of a hiss than anything else, could be heard as someone moved forward, stopping just at the rim of the light. His long, raven black hair laid down to his shoulders as his hands went to his jeans. His pale skinned torso was seen as his crimson red eyes glowed at us. “And which one is it this time?”

“Randal Flagg…” Jerry gasped as he looked at him. He thought of him only as the monster from a novel, a boogie man. He was fortunate to not know the truth.

“Oh, stop it Flagg. Your starting to get on my nerves.” Another figure began to walk to the edge, this one with a long brown trench coat, white shirt and black tie. In his mouth was a lit cigarette, and a trail of smoke came out. His eyes glowing blue as he gave a half hearted wave at us. “Discord. Your other versions aren’t going to be here. At least not till they take care of something. I think another funeral happened.”

“Oh! Constantine, come on! Don’t tell me I’m missing out!” I hate missing out on a Discord funeral! And I still need to figure out how many of the versions have died. I still couldn’t feel the others yet.

“Where did you get this interesting specimen, Discord?” A voice snuck past us all and settled behind Jerry and I. I looked back and saw the wide, toothy grin from one of my dearest friends.

“Cheshire, so good to see you. Did you lose weight?” I complimented as I dragged Jerry over to the side closest to Cheshire.

“I wish I could say the same, Dissy… it’s been rough recently. There has been so many imbalances in order that it’s even affecting us.” Cheshire said, a hint of pity in his voice. I looked at the three figures around us and realized something was off.

“What’s been going on? Is something wrong with the other Discords?”

Randal chuckled darkly as he stepped into the light. “You could say that. You know, I got a few Equu’s under my belt now. Some of the Discords couldn’t handle it. It was kind of sad when they just… Poof!” His hands pantomimed an explosion as he looked at me. “Think that will be a problem in your little cat box?”

“No, it won’t be a problem.” I lied. I was hoping that I could get some much needed chaotic energy into my system. “Why did you need to take over, anyways, Flagg?”

He smiled. Row after row of sharp, grinding, serrated teeth could be seen, and I heard Jerry pray. Flagg heard it, and he stepped back, glaring at Jerry as his smile vanished. “You know, boy, the last person who wouldn’t stop talking like that-“

“Ended up blowing you to Kingdom Come.” Constantine finished with a smile of his own.

“Can you give Discord some added energy?” Jerry asked as he looked at Constantine. “He’d be kind of useless to me if he isn’t at one hundred percent.” He tried to keep Flagg in his peripheral vision as he asked.

“I’m not a creature of Chaos, mate. I’m more of a delegate. You know… sort of making sure the more unwanted elements of Chaos are kept in check.” His eyes turned to Flagg for a moment, then back towards me and Jerry. “I can talk with a few neutral demons and fea, but as it stands, you’re going to have to wait till you get a hold of your other versions.”

Randal continued glaring at us from the shadows. Jerry had unwittingly made me a target of his now. I’d have to explain it to him later.

Cheshire, on the other hand, was rummaging for something from his fur. It didn’t take long for him to pull out a strange fruit. He tossed it to me and smiled before he poofed out of existence, leaving behind that name sake smile of his. “Thank you, friend…” I thought as I looked at the fruit, one that looked like a mutant fruit from the Equestrian wasteland. Most likely a hint of some sort. I began to examine it, and felt it pulsating with chaotic energy.

“Jerry, it’s time for you to wake up.” I made him turn back to the window, and we made our way out. Before I closed the window, I looked at Constantine and Randal. “It was nice seeing you again. I’ll be back tonight. Hope to see you again, Delegate Constantine… you, not so much, Mr. Flagg.” With that, I made Jerry run as fast as his zoa would allow him to. “Looks like you’re going to get an upgrade to the Pip Boy a bit early.” I put the mutant fruit into Jerry’s mouth. “Long story short is… use these to replenish chaos energy. Think you can handle that?”

His face grimaced as we were back in the mists. “These things taste horrible… You really expect me to eat these to feed you?”

“So you don’t like the help I gave you?”

He kept quiet. The boy isn’t bright, but he can at least put two and two together.

I can feel the chaos energy flowing through him, and as I returned to my “prison”, I go to work. I did not know much about computers when I was first put into this situation, but over the years I had to learn, or I would have gone insane so long ago. His eyes opened as I put a third bar beneath his Health and Action bar, simply labeled “C”.

Now it’s time for me to actually rest. Hopefully the fat boy will keep himself alive.

///////////////////////////////////////////

Jerry went to sleep very quickly. I could tell that he was going to need time to recover, even if there are Stim Pacs in the area. I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile to myself as the little filly curled up on his back.

It reminded me of happier times, before the war.

I gently shook my head again after looking over the rubble. I couldn’t help but think about the possibilities of something like this… the trap backfiring on the Bad Dreams, Jerry and the others just so happening to walk to this building, and even me getting here before they could kill the filly. I have no belief in chance. I have seen too much of how an act of hatred can lead to the death of many, and how an act of kindness could lead to saving a nation. But with that, I cannot say it is Providence.

I walked past the rubble and made my way up to where Sunday and Dumbass where. They both stood over the now disarmed Night Mare. She was looking at the hole, her eyes almost glued to it with a rather strange smile on her face as she sat against the wall. Dumbass stood across from her, the hole staying between him and her as he stood on his hind legs and held the stock of his rifle against his shoulder.

Sunday, her magic holding her shotgun up to “encourage” compliance from our new friend, looked back at me. “How is Jerry, Boss?” She asked, her voice filled with concern for her friend.

“He is laying down, and is being looked after by somepony. I can handle our friend here. You can go and see to them.” I ordered with as much warmth as I could muster.

Sunday smiled as she made her way to the hole and jumped down it. A truly wreak less move on her part, but I suppose I could excuse it for now. I turned my attention back to the Night Mare, forcing her face to look up at me. Her eyes darted for a while before resting on my eyes.

“You get one chance at this, Raider. If you answer my questions well enough, you get to run along, off into the wasteland. We won’t have anything more to do with you, as long as you don’t try coming back to get us. Got it?” My voice returned to the coldness I was used to.

I gave her enough control to move her head. She nodded as she kept her eyes locked on me.

“Good. Now, first question. Why did you want the Human?”

The Night Mare’s lips quivered for a bit, till she smiled. “H-he was going to be sold after we got what we wanted from him.”

“What did you want from him?” I asked as I leaned forward, dragging her face towards mine.

“B-blood! Blood for the-“ She stopped herself as she pulled away. “He’s going to kill me…” I was surprised at how she managed to pull out of my magical grasp. “He’s going to find out we couldn’t get it, and he’s going to kill me!” She looked right at me, and I saw it in her eyes. It was like blood had pooled around her eyes, slowly drowning her iris as she began to shiver. “Oh, God! He’s going to skin me alive, then use my bones to drain him of his blood! He’s going to make a drinking skin from my hide and kill them all!” She was panicking. This wasn’t just the ravings of a mad mare.

I struck her across her face with my hoof to calm her down. She began to sob, the blood from her eyes receding as she looked down at the hole again. “Get a hold of yourself and tell me who he is!”

She didn’t respond right away, but after a minuet of calming down, she looked back up at me. “I-I don’t know his real name but he’s Human. I never met him face to face… Night Shade and Nightingale did… but I just called him Brother Blood.” She looked back at the hole. “He made a promise to us. Blood for power. The better the blood, the greater the power.”

I glared at the mare as my horn glowed. I do not take kindly to such deals. Not for the ones who make them, nor to the ones who accept them. “Thank you for being forthright with the information.” A sharpened metal nail slowly made its way to the back of the unicorn’s neck. She wouldn’t feel anything if I did this right. “You can leave n-“

The nail didn’t even make it to five inches before it melted. It was as though as if I was pressing a stick of butter against a glowing hot frying pan, the molten metal running off her skin to pool around her. Weather she noticed it or not, I could not tell, but Dumbass did. He was better at keeping calm than many of the other group give him credit for. His muscles tightened, but aside from that, he didn’t show any signs of surprise.

The Mare looked up at me, slightly confused and afraid. I cleared my throat, and knew that I could not attempt that again, much to my chagrin. “…as I was saying, you may leave now.”

The Mare looked up at me, cowering a bit as she stood up. “You… you’re serious? No trap?”

She didn’t notice it. She is far too foolish to play the fool now, and if she knew of what I did… the implications of her having a passive shield did not sit well with me. “No trap.” I ground out between my teeth.

She began to walk towards the stairs, still shaking, till she took her first step down, then went to a full blown sprint.

The door to the front could be heard echoing through the door as her galloping and sobbing rang out through the air, as did two shots of sniper fire. The galloping continued to mock me as I growled to myself.

“Faustian trades only lead to hellfire.” My father once told me that. I hate that I could not tell if I was the one who would end up in said fires because I could not get rid of… her. However, I should not worry about such things. Not yet, at least.

“Boss… what happened?” Dumbass finally asked as he brought his rifle down.

“We have too much to take care of now, Dumbass. Look through the school, especially in the nurses lounge. Look for Stim-packs, health potions, even healing powder. Jerry is going to need to walk out of the city on his own. We’re only going to lead him back. Understand?”

Dumbass looked at me, wanting to know what was going through my mind. My gaze met his and he quickly crumbled and went looking for what I asked him to find. I turned back to the hole in the floor and jumped down. I looked over at Jerry, laying on his stomach as the filly curled up on his back. Sunday was nearby, looking on with a smile on her face. She looked up at mine, and still smiled. “So… are we keeping the kid? Or what?”

I looked back at the filly and shook my head. “No… we can’t afford to keep her fed. I think we’ll have to take her to Buck ‘et Town. A good Orphanage is there. Plus, it is close enough. I’m sure that our newest member is going to want to see her more often.” I felt the look on Sunday’s face changed. She was happy that Jerry was staying with us, to be certain, but she probably thought that I was forcing him to stay.

On the contrary. He has already made friends with three members of the team. A fourth enjoys him for… adult reasons. Two others think of him as a blood filled doll they can cling to when I am not around. And the seventh is a child who must learn to accept loss with dignity. He has already shown competence in emergency situations with no visible means of communications.

Besides, Jerry will be unable to protect himself for a while. I will not send someone who is unable to protect themselves out to the Timberwolves. I am far from a saint, but I have not allowed myself to become another wasteland monster.

“… Boss, I remembered something that Jerry said when he saw you. He called you “Fleur de Lis”… is that your real name?” Her question was surprisingly direct. I smiled as I stared at her, my eye glowing blue.

“My name was never important, Sunday. I try and make up for that by actually living up to what I call myself now, being in charge of my own and other’s lives, and taking the consequences of such choices.” I sighed as I looked out a broken window, looking at the once beautiful city that I never had the chance to walk though at it’s height. One of so many regrets that I fight against. One of so many memories I wish I had.

Oh, Fancy… how I miss speaking with you.

//////////////////////////

I stirred as I felt two needles push into my forearms. I opened my eyes and saw two stim-pacs emptying their contents into my arms. It didn’t take long for me to feel my bones knit together, the burns easily flaking off as new skin quickly replaced the damaged ones. I groaned in pain, but not the kind of pain I expected to feel. It was like my body was spurring itself to stand up. I felt a weight on my back, and as I turned, was reminded of my little cargo as Rebecca crawled up, draping her hooves over my shoulders.

For an instant, I thought I heard a giggle as I stood up slowly.

I smiled as I looked at Rebecca. “There you are, kiddo. I thought you’d get lost on my back.” I stood up to my full height, and Rebecca clung tightly to me. I was surprised that I didn’t fall forward, but then noticed that I had a crimson aura around my midsection. I looked to my right, and saw Sunday’s horn glowing as D.A. threw my bag to my feet. “Thanks.”

They didn’t say anything, but Sunday smiled as she motioned for me to follow her. D.A. came to my side, but stayed about a full body length away from me as I put the bag on. I managed to adjust it so that Rebecca was sitting on the top of the bag, giving her a seat as she road on my back. My legs still where in pain, but besides that, nothing stopped me from walking on. The three of us walked out, and there was a large pile of weapons in a cart, as well as a few crates of ammo and food.

Flue was busy looking over everything, standing near the cart as she tossed what I guessed was a wrecked gun to the side. She rose her eyes to catch mine, and then she went back to work, as though as if nothing happened. Sunburn was muttering as he brought in the pieces from the robot. He looked up at me, and started gritting his teeth to keep his mouth shut as he turned to get more scrap.

As I took a deep breath calm myself down, I felt a small squeak from Rebecca as her fore hooves wrapped around my neck, hugging me. I looked behind me and saw Rip and Tear hovering behind me, looking at Rebecca with interest.

“Girls… this is Rebecca… she’s a good little filly. Got it?” I explained as I petted Rebecca behind her ears to calm her down. Rip hovered in front of me and leaned closer to Rebecca, sniffing her. My muscles flexed as I readied myself to fight them off, only for her to lick Rebecca, then me on the cheek.

“Rip likes her! She’s like little Boss!” She chirped as she went to hug me around the chest. Tear was close behind her, giving me a tighter hug, nearly squeezing the air out of my lungs.

“Tear missed Blood Bag.”

I… huh…

I have no idea how to feel about this. This is like being hugged by two crazy people that would drink my blood for the lulz, but would cry if someone else did it. They care about me (Sort of). They have already taken a shine with Rebecca. I doubt that they would do anything to her.

Optimistically scared happy? Maybe I’m happily afraid? Never mind, I’ll think it over later.

It didn’t take long for the cart to fill up with the rest of the supplies. I smiled as I looked up at Rebecca again. “Are there any other kids here? Brothers and sisters?”

I wished I didn’t say that now. She looked like I had kicked her. I picked her from my back and held her close to my chest, her hooves wrapping around my neck.

I tried to comfort her, tried to pat her back, but she continued to cry. The extent of what I did, unknowingly… made my heart twist like it was being choked.

Then I suddenly heard a song from the pip-boy, and I recognized it immediately. There were no vocals that could be heard from the pip boy, but I sang as best I could.

“Come stop your crying. It’ll be alright.

Just take my hand and hold it tight.

I will protect you from all around you.

I will be here, don’t you cry.

For one so small, you seem so strong.

My arms will hold you and keep you safe and warm.

This bond between us will not be broken.

I will be here, don’t you cry.

Cause you’ll be in my heart.

Yes, you’ll be in my heart.

From this day on, now and forever on…”

I continued to sing, rocking the little ball of fur in my arms as she sobbed. I didn’t pay any attention to the others for a while as I walked. When the song ended, we were standing outside the city, Sunburn and DA where pulling the cart as Rip and Tear sat on the pile of supplies. Fluer stood next to me, keeping her eyes on the horizon as Sunday walked next to D.A. The look I got from everyone there was… strange. D.A. and Sunday actually smiled back at me. Sunburn rolled his eyes in disgust. Rip and Tear was… doing what they normally do (They either were enjoying the song or were singing a song in their head. Since the music was dying down, I’d say it was the brain music.)

Rebecca, meanwhile, was asleep. I couldn’t tell when it happened, but it was a while back. I began to notice that she was skinny. The unhealthy kind of skinny. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but hum the song into her ears.

I was so engrossed in the little filly that I barely noticed Rag Doll and Daisy joining our group as we came to the lip of the valley. I looked down, still smiling as Rag Doll walked by me, her eyes almost twinkling as she saw Rebecca. I was surprised when Daisy stood behind me. Surprised because of how far away she stayed from me.

The walk back was rather uneventful, save for one thing. The light of the sun in the east was actually… nice. I had almost forgotten that this all happened in one night.

We reached the library with no problems, and I brought Rebecca inside. After tucking her in my bed, I went back outside and helped where I could with unpacking the cart. “So, I think I finally got you now…” Sunburn said as I picked up a bundle of rifles. I ignored him as I brought it inside. “Why you haven’t tried anything with any of the girls here…”

Oh, I hope he doesn’t go where I think he’s going.

“First I thought it was because you just didn’t know how to do it. I mean, your rocks haven’t been polished, probably in forever. It would make sense. Inexperience and all that.” Sunburn chuckled as he continued. “Then, there was the possibility that you don’t like pony’s. Wouldn’t be the first that I heard of some human not wanting to be with a pony or hybrid.”

Dear God, please… shut him up.

“Then I got to thinking, maybe it’s because you’re into stallions! Saw how chummy you and Dumbass are.” I can’t believe he’s still talking. Maybe he will just patter off with a gay joke or two and be done with it. “But then it hit me!”

Damn it….

“Maybe it’s-“

“Hold it right there, Sunbutt.” I couldn’t help myself. I almost slammed the guns to the floor before I got to the table and turned to the asshole. “I can take a lot of things in forty eight hours. My lack of sleep being the majority of it.” I pointed my finger into the unicorn’s face as I glared at him. “But if you continue to say what I think you are, I will slap the bitch out of you. Got it?”

He smirked as he leaned in closer. “Okay, Foal lover.”

And then I fulfilled my end of the promise. I bitch slapped Sunburn hard enough to send him slamming into the front desk. I then saw on the top of my field of vision the words “Critical Strike”. I looked at my hand, and then looked at a very stunned, but very much unharmed Sunburn. Our eyes met as Fleur and Daisy walked in, and we both looked at the two mares.

“Okay… he’s a bit tougher than I thought he was.” Sunburn said, his smirk turning into a weird ass smile. “I’m good with him sticking around.”

“It was just a lucky shot.” I said, still kind of wondering how I did it. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a few cans of whoop ass I can’t open on ya.” I dusted off my hands and triumphantly turned back to pick up the guns from the ground and put them, very carefully, onto the table.

There are many things I can deal with. Being labeled a pedophile is not one of those things. Kids need a safe place to grow up. The safer the place, the better.

I needed to focus, or else I’ll remember… HER… and that isn’t something I need right now. Thankfully, Fleur walked behind me to catch my attention. “I… need to thank you for coming for me, Boss.” It wasn’t hard to thank her, but it was hard to call her Boss. I just wanted to call her Fleur, but… well… it didn’t feel alright right now.

“Don’t. I would have waited till a few days later, when you were going to be sold to a slaver. After hearing what I did from one of the Night Mares, Sunday’s gamble actually came at a good time.” She sighed as she looked at me. I put down the rifle I was cleaning (Which was just me rubbing the barrel with a rag) and looked at her. “Do you know who Brother Blood is?”

Brother Blood… I remembered a fictional character from DC comics by that name. A bad guy, if I’m not mistaken. I didn’t know anything specific about him. “Besides a bad guy from a comic book, nothing really comes to mind.” I explained to her. I sighed as I continued to look at the guns. “ So… the Night Mare is still alive?”

Fleur began to get interested in the gun I was looking at all of a sudden.

I groaned a bit as I went back to cleaning up the mess I made. “Never thought that I’d say it, but that would be a hell of a time to be merciful.”

The sudden, sickly silence made me fear looking directly at Fleur for a few minuets. “It wasn’t my choice. I can’t give all the details, but suffice it to say… there was some other force keeping her alive.” Her voice was whisper-like.

I stopped and looked at Fleur. “So, you think this Brother Blood has something to do with it?”

She didn’t say anything, but I read volumes from it. I couldn’t help but stop again and rub my temples. “Two days ago, I was just a guy working at a grocery store. This is crazy.” I muttered to myself as I started to feel a bit tired. “Damn… I need to go to bed. That cat-nap just didn’t cut it.” I began walking to my room, but stopped with a slight growl. “Is there another mattress I could use? My bed is kind of being used by Rebecca.”

Fleur sighed as she walked to me. “Why did you name her?”

“She doesn’t have one, and I’m not going to call her “Hey, filly”.” I explained.

“You can’t keep her like a pet, Jerry. She has a name from her-“ She stopped herself as she looked me straight in the eyes. I don’t know what she was looking for, but after a while, she smirked and closed her eyes. “Never mind. Go to the bell tower and take the cot from there. Be careful with it, and get yourself and the filly some sleep. I’ll send Rag Doll in to wake you up when I need you.”

I made my way up the stairs pretty easily, and as I entered the sniper’s room, I noticed the lack of anyone sitting at the post. I walked forward and saw a folded up cot next to the mattress that I assumed was for Daisy. How did I know it was for Daisy?

Well…. Lets just say that she doesn’t put away her toys when she’s done playing with them.

Yeah, your not going to get that image out of your mind any time soon, are ya? Well, I’m the guy who saw it. And I have to sleep under the same room as her.

Click.

I stopped only a few feet away from the cot and turned to the door. Standing in front of the newly closed door was Daisy. She was looking right at me, and she had no smile on her face.

“Uh… uh… hey, Daisy! How are you-“

“Don’t talk.” She started to walk towards me, and I walked backwards. She quickly got to my and her hand reached for my neck. I could feel her nails on my windpipe as she looked into my eyes. I didn’t know what was going on as she leaned forward.

Brain, how do I deal with this right now? Am I to be disgusted, or…

“Well, she isn’t ENTIRELY pony. Daisy seems to have a more human-like figure, and lets face it, she is kind of attractive in a whole molesty kind of way.” Left side thought as I inadvertently turned on VATS.

“I don’t think that’s the issue. We aren’t dealing with creatures of the field here, so even if she was a “pony”, she is sapient, and the fact she’s a hybrid, it means humans and these ponies are genetically compatible… How the hell does that work?” Right side said.

“We’ll worry about that later. Is it morally alright to do this?” Left side asked.

“WOOHOO! I’M GETTING Laid!”

“SHUT UP, REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM!” Both Right and Left said

“The Hell is going on here?” Discord’s voice seemed to carry over the debate I was having with myself. “Are you about to have sex?”

“Don’t know. I’m kind of tired, and I was thinking bout waiting till marriage, but Daisy is very insis-“

“YOU ARE NOT TO HAVE SEX!” Discord boomed as his face encompassed my entire screen.

“And, what exactly is bringing this out? I mean… besides Daisy.”

“The chemicals released during an orgasm can permanently damage the make-up of the nano-bots in your body! If your lucky, it would just mean losing contact with me!” Discord explained.

“…. Oh, crap…. I sense a very big “but” in the works.”

“But it can also lead to irreversible damage to your nervous system.” Discord finished.

“That but is much bigger than mine!” I thought as I let that sink in. “So… if I was to have sex… I could die?”

“No, you’d probably just have your limbs be paralyzed and then starve to death.”

“Thank you, Discord. I was fearing the worst.” My sarcasm was getting very strong here. “Now, how do I get out of here?” I asked the creature of chaos. He looked to the side, as though as if he was looking at Daisy.

“Pretty easy, really. You inadvertently walked up to the window.” I heard his explanation, but I remembered bumping against a solid wall… aaaand there is a window behind me. I noticed the Chaos gauge going down to the halfway mark. “And now you can do what you do best and make yourself look like an idiot.”

“Thanks, John De Lancy.” I may not be able to come up with insults that I would call “gem’s”, but I know that calling him that will get to him.

“No, it won’t.” Discord almost sang as he MANUALLY DEACTIVATED THE VATS!?

I didn’t even realize how hard I was leaning against the window till it gave in and I tumbled backwards, and if it wasn’t for Daisy’s fast reflexes, I would have fallen out the window. Thankfully, she grabbed hold of my shirt collar, and the look on her face changed from her sultry emotionless face to a serious, worried and focused look. She pulled me back in, and hugged me.

She didn’t try anything, but I could hear her breathing was ragged and I almost could hear sobbing.

I’ve… never… had this happen to me.

I just did what my sub-conscious told me to do, which was pat her on the back.

“I… I’m sorry, Jerry… I didn’t think that would happen to you.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I managed to say while hiding my confusion. “Just relax and let it all out.”

And she did. I must have been standing there for a good ten minuets as I heard her explain to me about what was going through her mind during all of last night. Nothing earth shattering or the like. It was just her being worried about me. It was kind of sweet, save for the fact that I know she only wants to bed me (add that to my list of “sentence’s I would never expect to be said regarding me”). Still, it’s the thought that counts.

I managed to get her to the chair and set her down. “Thank you, Daisy… for being there for me.”

She looked up at me, and her eyes looked like they sparkled a bit. It was like I had just given her a million dollars, or a diamond ring or something. “It wasn’t any problem, Jerry… I’ll always help you out as best I can.”

I nodded at her as I broke my hug from her. “And I know you will. I’ve got to get to bed. Fleur said I could use the cot.”

Her mood shifted a bit as I said that. “Jerry… could I ask you something?”

Her voice was kind of somber as she asked it. I tried to keep my smile on my face as I looked at her in the eyes. “Sure. Ask away.”

“Do you find me ugly?”

Holy crap. That is one blunt question. I didn’t think my wellbeing rested on it. Daisy… well, she’s been clingy and a bit forward (like a torpedo), but besides being shot by her and seeing that she could shoot my head off at long range, I have a feeling she wouldn’t hurt me unless I posed an actual threat. I also don’t want to lead her on.

Need to do this right.

“I don’t find you ugly, Daisy. Your very unique, especially your personality. In fact, I’d say that you are the most beautiful hybrid I’ve ever met.” I said with a smile.

She didn’t return it. “Why don’t you want to be with me?”

I paused. The reasons were numerous, but the ones that came up to the forefront had more to do with self-preservation (especially after the bombshell Discord gave me) and moral confusion than revulsion (which was non-existent) and displeasure. I sighed as I collected my thoughts. “Let’s just say that is has a LOT more to do with me than it has to do with you. However, I will say that being grabby doesn’t help things.” I looked at her with a half-smile as I saw her blush at what I insinuated. “If things change, though, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

Why do my lips sign checks my butt can’t cash?

“Because you’re an idiot, Fat Boy.”

Shut it, John De Lancy.

////////////////////////////////////

I saw Jerry walk down the steps to the bell tower carrying a cot. A little bit interested in what was going on, I decided to check up on him. “Yo, smooth skin! What happened up there? You were up there for a while.” I said as I nudged him with my elbow. “Did you get yourself a bit of stress relief? Wink wink, nudge nudge?”

He looked at me, the look in his eyes a bit more tired and… well, horrified at what I said. “D.A…. quick question. Have you ever heard of Monty Python?”

“… Monty’s Python? What is that, some kind of… porn?”

The horror faded to slight annoyance as he turned back. “No, D.A., it’s not porn. I’m just going to chalk that up to God having a weird sense of humor.” He continued forward as he answered me. “No, I didn’t get “Stress Relief”. I don’t have any intention of getting “Stress Relief”, and I’m just going to go into my room, wrestle with this stupid thing, then go to bed.”

“You know, I’ve heard that having a good roll in the hay on a semi-regular basis is actually good for your health.” I remembered an old magazine I read on the subject, only to be met with a stifled laugh.

“Dude… sex isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…” He laughed for a few more seconds till he started to stare off into space. “or… at least I hope it isn’t….” He shook his head as he got to his room. “Look, I got to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I scratched the back of my head as I followed him, being quiet as I noticed Rebecca in bed, squirming a little bit. I whisper to him as quietly as I can. “You know that she can’t stay with us, right?”

He looked back at me, a sad look in his eyes as he nods. “I’m not going to just abandon her, though. I heard about Buck ‘et Town or whatever it is. Tell me a bit about it.”

“Well… it’s about an hour away from us… it isn’t that big of a town, but it’s still a better place than here. Good amount of money goes into it, but there is a slave trade there…” I raised a hoof up to shut Jerry up as I continued. “The Orphanage there is off limits for such people, so don’t worry.” He didn’t look convinced, but he clamped his mouth shut as he made the cot.

“So… yeah… you can see her whenever… think you can handle that?”

“I don’t have much of a choice.” He groaned as he finished. He sighed as he stood up and eased himself into the cot, then laid in it. “Dang, this feels good… much better than the floor…”

I got the clue and made my way out of the room, after looking back to see Jerry out cold, and Rebecca awake and making her way onto Jerry’s stomach, her blanket being dragged onto the both of them, a content look on her face.

///////////////////////////////////

203 years before….

Vault 101

Commander Lavender Steel walked the corridors as he read the reports given to him about the security at the front. Yellow Streak has found two repeat customers that would be slated for looking into. No other kinds of suspicious activity were red flagged by the team up in the store.

He also finished looking at the research notes that was given to him by Zelda. Becky continued the professional distance, as she had promised, and it had worried him as he looked down at the notes. Zelda had told him of how long she would spend awake, her mind focused on everything relating to her research.

The last she had heard, she would work on only a few hours of sleep a week, stopping only when the buzz of her chosen highly caffeinated drink finally ended. He had ordered the kitchen staff to halt serving anything stronger than a cup of coffee to her.

He remembered that incident. He had almost came to blows with her as she almost rammed into him, insisting that the, and he quotes, “tyrannical ban of beverages be rescinded for the betterment of Equestria”, unquote.

If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Zelda, giving her some herbal tea and “inadvertently” making her fall asleep on her feet with a very small amount of sedatives in said tea, she would have knocked the pretty boy out of him.

He walked into his office and set the papers onto his desk as he saw a figure walk in. It was a scientist, a blue coated hybrid earth pony variant. Lavender had some trouble with remembering the name till he looked her in the eyes. One of them were a milky-white, from a wound that he remembered all to well.

“Doctor Sakura… I haven’t seen you for years.” He couldn’t help but smile at her as he made his way to his seat. “I see that you used the potions to hide the Sting.”

Sakura didn’t smile as she crossed her arms under her bust. “I truly didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. My career, or what’s left of it, needs me to both adapt in the lab and have the look of competency on the podium. While you and your…” She stopped herself as she noticed the death-freezing glare that was being given to her. “Right… that is two strikes…”

“Don’t waste my time, and don’t insult my men… yes, that sounds about right, two strikes.” Lavender said with a sarcastic monotone as he pretended to count in his head.

“I’m sorry… on both accounts.” She back peddled as she kept her ridged and unmoving self at the door. “I am here to speak with you about the methods your people have been “keeping the peace” in the labs.”

“Doctor Saddler would have explained to me if there were any problems with-“

“I’m sorry, sir, but Doctor Saddler is in no way, shape or form unbiased. She would allow you and your men to lick every inch of the lab to clean it if-“ The glare returned, and the words retreated back to Doctor Sakura’s mouth to die.

“She is a responsible and well respected member of the scientific community, Doctor Sakura. I know that you are a co-leader of the project, but I have, and will continue to have the guards practice their searches and unscheduled scans of the area. We are at the cusp of war, Doctor. This project, this Trinity Accord may be the only thing that will make certain that life here and on other worlds continues unabated. You will do your duty, and I will do mine. Is that understood?” His voice never rose above that of a silent growl, but outside the room, the guards posted could be heard rattling in their armor in fear.

Which is what caused the next part to surprise them all.

“I understand, but note this, Captain. The Trinity Accord continues in spite of our dilly dallying. We are all replaceable, and if your actions intentionally interferes with progress, I will make certain that you are replaced, even if it means putting my own reputation on the line.” She turns from Lavender, her own icy voice echoing back at him. “As you said, The Trinity Accord may be the only thing that will protect life here. If that is true, then we must all make sacrifices for the greater good. Are you willing to do that?” Before she could hear his reply, she walked away.

Lavender clinched his jaw and looked at the desk. He heard footsteps, and before looking up, lashed out. “Get out you harpy-“

“Now, that is a weird ass greeting for a friend.” Zelda’s voice carried, just slightly hurt.

Lavender looked up at her, then rubbed his forehead with his hooves as he went back to looking down. “Oh, damn it, Zelda… I thought you were Sakura.”

She walked in and closed the door behind her as she made her way to the chair. “Thanks, I was thinking I had too much ego. A bit of name calling and generally mean things being said about me helps to keep the emotional fat off my slim, emotionally scarred body.”

“You knew what I meant, woman.” A small smile came to Lavender’s lips as he kept his eyes on the desk.

Zelda continued to smile as she tried to get Lavender’s attention. “Scientists are very fickle creatures. Doesn’t take much for us to take anything as a slap to the face.” Her smile weakened as she leaned forward. “I wanted to talk to you about something. I’ve never been to the Wastelands as many times as you and Becky. Heard a lot about the ponies and people on the other side, though.”

Lavender’s eyes managed to look back up as Zelda continued.

“When you were in Nevada… when you had to take Twilight and Blueblood to the NCR…” Her voice leeched the rest of her smile from her. “How… how come you continued to go there?”

Lavender had been asked about it. The Good Springs Incident. It wasn’t the first time he had to explain to others about the smell of cooked pony and diamond dog bodies, of the Ceaser’s Remnants manic charge, and the good fortune (and bad dreams) that he and Blueblood had and would continue having for the rest of their days. But he had never explained to anyone why he continued to put on the armor.

He began to smile. “Zelda… I want you to promise me that you won’t tell anybody this.” His voice still was stern, but had warmed considerably as the zebra scientist nodded silently. “You know about my sister, Fleur De Lis, correct?”

Zelda’s smirk returned. “Yeah. The socialite and pro-human advocate in Canterlot. She certainly has the connections, especially with that special somepony of hers.”

“Yeah… well, around the time we returned, I was still… well, a mess. Of course, you know what I mean by that.” His smile continued to grow as his hooves moved about. “She came with Fancy for a visit, and I had… done something real stupid.” He shook his head with the smile, but Zelda could see his eyes where still cold. “They cleaned me up, and she looked at me like I was going to grow demon limbs and spew blood. It was kind of funny. I think I laughed a bit after the doctor actually finished stitching my wri-“ he stopped himself, the smile fading a bit as he cleared his throat with a cough. “Any who, she glared at me, and said something to me. “Damn it, you asshole! If you were going to die, you could have had the fucking decency to do in the Mohave, so the damn Remnants can actually take their trophy.” And man, did that floor me.“

Zelda’s mouth was a gape as she looked at Lavender. “Damn… she is a harsh bitch.”

“Hey, sometimes the ones who love us the most need to hurt us to get the point across.” Lavender said, one fore hoof unconsciously rubbing the wrist of the other. “If she didn’t, I’d probably have tried it again. And…” He trailed off a bit as his eyes rose up to Zelda. “Becky… wasn’t like the others I was with, you know.” The way he said it made it seem like a natural segue. That one lead to another. “I actually care about her more than just like… that.”

Zelda was still in shock, and simply nodded. She stood back up and slowly made her way to the door. “You know… I could tell her that, if you want.”

Lavender, still smiling, shook his head. “Nope. I’m going to take responsibility for this one, Zelda. But… thanks.”

Zelda finally returned the smile as she waved at him. “Next time, I’ll tell you the sad story. Got it?”

Lavender simply nodded as he turned to his paper. “I’ll bring the cider.” He mumbled to himself as he continued his task.