My story begins here
I grunted, rolling over as harsh sunlight hit me in the face. I covered my eyes with my hooves, not needing the usual boredom and emptiness that came with each passing day. I thought of comfort and... and a full belly, feeling myself drift away.
But I rose quickly when the sounds of magic gunfire roared through the air. Another gunfight? I thought blearily as I gathered my things, slinging the ratty old saddlebag over my back. I stealthily crawled through the hut I was in and peeked out the shattered window.
Two stallions were battling it out in the center of a clearing. One had multiple gunshot wounds to one leg, the other had a huge hole in his right wing. Idiot. I thought. Only those with a death wish flew in the daylight. I saw the stallion with leg wounds dash behind a rock to reload. I got a look at him before he slowly recovered and began firing again. He was a light orange earth pony, with wavy brown hair and a cutie mark that looked like it couldn't be anything to help him in the wasteland.
The pegasus stallion fired off three quick rounds, then dashed forward a little. The earth pony scrambled to the side, firing one slow round. Though he wasn't a quick shooter, I saw the bullet leave a sizable hole in a nearby rock. Super Slugs. I thought grudgingly. If he won, he would be a bad opponent. even with his wounds.
The pegasus, who was a blue green with dark blue hair, looked momentarily to the side. The earth pony took his chance. Next thing the pegasus knew, his head was rolling on the ground, ripped from the neck from the force of the shot. I stared in shock at the accuracy. Most couldn't hit a wing like the earth pony had, much less a head.
All was silent for a few moments, save for the cawing of some distant bird.
The earth pony turned to my hiding place, "I know you're there."
I ducked down just as a shot opened a hole in the wall behind me. I stared in fear at the level. Had I not reacted so quickly, my head would be in the same condition as the pegasus'.
Quickly readying my weapon, I dropped the ammo as a bullet ripped through the wall next to me. Shit, how good a shot can he be?
"I'm missing on purpose, you know." the earth pony called. "If I wanted to, I could guess where your head is and send it flying."
Nothing made me doubt it. I slowly rose and raised my hooves. "I-I-I don't want any t-t-trouble." I stammered. "B-but with you firing at me and such..." I trailed off. The earth pony glared.
"And I wouldn't shoot if you weren't sneaking around like some rodent." he said with acid on his tongue.
I gulped and called out. "I just was trying to stay out of it. Like I said, I don't want trouble. I'm just wandering, staying alive. Like you."
The earth pony laughed. It was a harsh, grating laugh. "Well then, I don't see how. You can't survive by sneaking around, occasionally getting supplies from trade caravans. Don't tell me you go into town. No one can be trus- Gah!" He stumbled, his wounds finally taking toll.
Seeing a chance, I grabbed my ammo, stuffing it into my gun: a small, powerful pistol I called Ol' Ironhoof. Turning swiftly, I came out of cover for a clear shot. The earth pony was unconscious, though. I pointed my gun at him, but nothing willed me to shoot. My morals were too great.
I walked into the clearing. He didn't move, save for the faint rise and fall of his chest. I went up to the pegasus, and checked for anything that could help me. I took his saddlebags, his ammo, his semi-powerful semi-automatic rifle, and the water he had with him. I then looked to the earth pony again. I couldn't will myself to shoot, even though if he woke up he'd probably kill me anyway. I stood there for a few moments before making my decision.
Sighing, I heaved the pony onto my back and set off towards the nearest town. Ponyville. Never thought I'd go back. I grit my teeth and kept walking.
A few hours later, I sat in a chair in the waiting room of the run-down clinic in what used to be Ponyville. This specific building was something called SugarCube Corner, if the history books read correctly. TY=The original clinic that had been here wasn't anywhere to be found. I looked around at the gray, aged walls, thinking of what they must have been like in the Happy Times.
Ah, yes, the Happy Times. Stuff of legends, nowadays. When Luna and Celestia still lived. When we had the Elements of Harmony to protect us. When the legendary mare Pinkie Pie ran this shop without a care in the world.
Slowly, after his second defeat, Discord had broken free of his prison. A history book I'd found someplace read as follows:
A Brief History of the Wasteland
Celestia was concerned of the recent cracks in Discord's statue, and called the Elements to help. They arrived, and saw for themselves what was happening. Discord himself spoke to the ponies, speaking of his chaos coming, and his close return. Panicked, the Sun Princess tried every method she knew of resealing the statue, but every attempt only seemed to hasten the process. Finally, Discord broke free. He quickly dispatched the Princesses and went after the Elements. They fought valiantly, but seemingly nothing happened when they used the Elements against him. He finished off his greatest enemies and reigned over us all with chaos.
Many rebelled against him, but said rebels never lasted long. Slowly our fair land of Equestria was brought to its knees, and then Discord left, claiming to "finish what he started." No one has seen him since. Equestria was left a wasteland, where ponies slowly learned how to fight, something they hadn't needed to do for over a thousand years. We developed "guns" with our magic. They shoot bits of magic in a casing, and that ammo is highly explosive when used correctly. Gradually, Equestria has become lawless and dangerous for the most innocent foal to the evillest villain. But... aren't we all villains, living as we do now?
I now move on to what has happened in the past fifty ears of the wasteland. First, I-
The book had cut off with a smudge of ink and a spatter of blood. I shuddered.
Just then, a nurse stepped through the door leading upstairs. He was a mint green unicorn with a dirty orange mane. Odd colors. I thought.
"He'll live." the nurse reported reported. "But he'll be stuck in bed for a while."
I nodded. For some reason, I'd felt the need to help the pony, even though it meant endangering myself in a town. Towns were where you could easily get robbed, mugged, murdered, raped, etc. You were always watching your back.
I remember when I was little (and scared), my sister -our parents were dead- would tell me stories of Mare-Do-Well, the superhero from the Happy Times. Apparently, she was around even today, helping ponies in need. But of course, those were just stories, stories for foals. No heroes lived today. They were either fake, or died quickly.
Shaking my head to get out of my thoughts, I asked, "How long should he be here?"
The nurse looked at me. "Maybe four days. Luckily, none of the bullets hit his bones, but the wounds have damaged his muscles. We can heal him given that amount of time."
I nodded. "So, should I just find a place to stay?"
The nurse regarded me like I was crazy. "Are you kidding? You'll die quicker than a bullet rips through flesh. This is probably the most unsafe town in all Equestria now."
I nodded grimly. "I know. My sister died here."
The nurse's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. I'm sorry for bringing it up."
I shook my head. "No, no. It's fine. It happened a few years ago."
The mint unicorn nodded slowly. "I see. What happened."
I shrugged, trying to seem indifferent, although I was crying inside. "Raped. Then beat to death. What else?"
The nurse looked surprise at my seemingly indifferent attitude. "Oh. You... you don't seem affected in any way."
I nodded slowly. "It happens everywhere. Why mourn one death when thousands of others probably died in the same second?"
The nurse shook his head. "That's no way to look at the world, much less the death of a family member."
I chuckled grimly. "It's that view that keeps me alive." I turned and trotted out and away from the pastry shop made clinic.
I flew backwards into the wall, my breath leaving my body. I opened my eyes to see the burly drunk stallion standing a few feet away. He was a dark brown earth pony with matching hair. His cutie mark, if it can be called that, was something too crude for me to repeat.
"You don' mess wi' me, you here?" He slurred, "I'm th' one who leads 'round... 'round here." He swayed, but one of his companions steadied him.
I stood slowly, and threw him a glare. "Your too drunk to even stand. Your cronies fought me. I could beat you single handed right here, right now."
He shot a glare right back at me, and his buddies raised their hooves threateningly.
"You dare to challenge me?" The drunk shouted, all of his drunkenness gone. "You dare to challenge me, leader of the Deadly Blades, One-Shot Hoofman!?"
Against my better judgement, my anger flared. This was the group that was responsible for my lack of a sister! I began to talk smack at him.
"The Deadly Blades? Please. I could think of a better name in my sleep. And One-Shot Hoofman? What kind of name is that? Your mom must have been a real stupid bitch to-"
I was cut off as his hoof slammed into the side of my face. I flew to the side and into another pony, who laughed and roughly shoved me back into the growing circle of ponies. I faced One-Shot, his eyes burning with rage, fueled by his drunk state. He swung a hoof at me, and I ducked, my adrenaline pumping. And thank whatever deity is out there. I thought. If not for that, I would be losing, dazed from the first two punches.
I tried to kick One-Shot's legs out from under him, but my legs met solid resistance. One-Shot lifted a leg, and brought it down on my left. I screamed in rage and pain as I felt something give. I scooted backwards quickly and checked the damage. It wasn't too bad, but it would be if this fight went on for too long. I looked back up to receive another hoof in my face. But it was one of One-Shot's followers that delivered the punch. I stood up and bucked the stallion, sending him into a dazed heap more than a few yards away.
"That's cheating!" I shouted at One-Shot. The brown earth pony just grinned.
"No, it isn't." he said, "I'm the law in this town, so you do as I say."
I looked around at the other ponies, daring them to say something against his claim. When I met a silvery mare's eyes, she quickly averted her own. I snorted in contempt. They had all been cheering only moments before. Now when I was winning, or when I had spoken out against One-Shot, they were silent.
"Well?" I shouted into the crowd. "Are you all chicken? Are you all his bitches, sitting there, doing what he says, no matter what?" I saw a stallion and a mare looking at me in slight interest, but they also looked away when I tried to make eye contact. The mare was a light pink, and she had a disheveled mane and tail. Her husband was dark blue, and he was glaring with complete hatred at One-Shot. I interpreted that as a sign that his wife had been raped by the Blades.
I turned back to One-Shot, disgusted. "I should have done this when I had the chance all those years ago."
Using my magic (oh wait, did I say I have magic? Oh, well, I do) I pulled 'Ol Ironhoof from his holster and pointed it directly at One-Shot's head, who's eyes widened once they lit on the barrel aiming right in between them. But then he laughed.
"You... I remember you now! Your sister... ah, yes, she was a good bi-" His face caved in where the bullet had hit it and he toppled, never to finish his sentence. The air rang with the echo of my shot, and everyone stared in awe at the body of the stallion they had all feared for so long. One-Shot's cronies stared in fear at me, and for good measure I shot the one pony who actually looked like he was about to attack me. That did it.
I stepped forward, and everypony made a path to the bar for me. I walked up to it, slapping what little bits I had on the counter. "One room and food for four days."
The stallion nodded and took the bits, giving me the key to my room and backing away quickly. I grunted and trudged up the stairs, feeling everyone's eyes on me.
I found the room and stepped inside. It was in okay condition, and had quite a lot of room for being such a "popular" inn. I threw my saddlebags on the bed and looked at myself in the mirror.
My dark gray coat was smudged with dirt and grit from the past few weeks of wandering. There were a few cuts, but nothing serious. My dark vest seemed fine, also. My dark green mane was streaked with dirt also, and my tail was even more of a mess than usual. I remember my sister saying how she loved how I had such a... "poofy" tail.
I felt my eyes tear up and I quickly wiped them away. No use in crying at this point. I turned away from my blue gaze and locked the door firmly with my magic.I then placed a drawer in front of it, effectively sealing it off.
Feeling safe, I crawled into the bed. I pulled a knife from a pocket in my vest and settled down, drifting away.
What was that? I had thought I'd heard a soft scratching noise. I listened closely, miming sleep. There it was again. I groaned, as if having a bad dream. Satisfaction. I grinned when I heard the sharp intake of breath from outside the door, and then sighed, as if relaxing again. As if copying me, the pony outside let out a soft sigh of relief, and began pushing on the door again. Slowly, ever so slowly, I saw, through squinted eyes, the door open and a dark shape slip in, closing the door behind them.
The dark shape moved closer to my bed, and I heard a low chuckle as they assumed victory. I tightened my grip on the knife, which was under the sheets. The pony -or at least what I was still assuming was a pony- lifted something. Something that glinted in the soft light of the moon, which somehow still rises every night. Something sharp.
Just before the blade came down, my knife plunged into the pony's stomach. I heard a feminine gasp, and rolled quickly out of the bed. Wait... feminine!?
I flicked on a lamp sitting nearby and looked at the prone form on the floor before me. It was a yellow earth pony mare, with an orange mane and tail. She grunted and groaned as blood pooled around her.
"What... who are you?" I asked. "You're not a member of he Blades!"
The mare looked up at me, and grinned. "Well, for starters, I thought you were someone else. So now that we're friends, can you take me to the nearest clinic?"
I just stood there, dumbfounded. "Wh... what?"
Her grin turned to a glare. "I said: Take. Me. To. The. Nearest. Clinic." She said it slowly, as if I couldn't understand her. I scowled.
"Well, I've got enemies at the moment, so don't bother me. If you can treat yourself, I'd recommend doing it, because if I tried you'd die quicker. Good night." I turned off the light and got back in bed. I heard a few more grunts from the mare, an then I heard a humming sound.
Next thing I knew, a body slid into the bed next to me. I waited for a moment, my heart beating frantically, then I felt breath on the back of my neck.
"Eeeeyagh!" I shouted, leaping from the bed. I looked back to the bed as the light was turned back on, and saw the mare, perfectly fine, laying (or is it lying?) in the bed in a... suggestive position. I eyed her warily and she laughed.
"That was hilarious!" the mare rolled around in the bed, laughing uncontrollably. She suddenly stopped, and I felt a reluctant hope that she had just disappeared. A figment of my imagination.
"Come on!" she said, suddenly at my side. "You need to get out of here now!"
"What?" I turned to her, jumping back in surprise to the distance between us. Our snouts were almost touching.
"You have to get out! Now!" she roughly shoved me towards the window, throwing my saddlebags at me. I caught them, but stumbled, landing on my rump.
I stared, dumbstruck, as she seemingly pulled a long, thin sword out of nowhere. She looked back to me.
"Dumbass! Get moving!" She swung at me, hitting the boards an inch away from two things very important to every stallion. I scrambled towards the window, looking back at her once.
"I'll handle these idiots." She said around the hilt of her sword. "Wait for me at the clinic! I'll tell you what to do after that!"
I dropped down, hearing the door crash inwards... which was immediately followed by male screams. I ran, away from the giant tree that had once been a famous library.
The next morning, I sat in the clinic waiting room, staring at the front doors. The nurse from yesterday came out and looked at me.
"Um..." he said uncertainly. "Why are you back here."
"I'm waiting for someone." I replied, not moving.
The nurse audibly gulped. "Well, if you don't mind, I have good news."
"What happened to your attitude?" I asked. the nurse did a double-take.
"Well..." he looked around nervously. His gaze never met mine. "I... I heard about last night..."
I sighed. "Really? You're afraid of me. I just shot him because he raped my sister. And he was pissing me off." I said nonchalantly.
The nurse got a weird look in his eyes as he maneuvered in front of me. "You haven't slept, have you?"
I shrugged. "She said she'd meet me here, and so I waited for her. But she hasn't come yet."
The nurse stared me straight in the eye. "You. Need. Sleep."
I shook my head. "No!" I began angrily. "I don't need-"
Kathonk. My head met the floorboards as consciousness fled me.
"Hey!" the distant voice came. "Hey! Dumbass! Get up!"
I felt a sharp kick hit my side, and my eyes flew open. The yellow mare from the night before stood over me, glaring down.
"You'll die if you live like that." she snorted. She turned to the nurse. "He's fine. What about Jer?"
The nurse looked shocked. "Wait... Karen? You... you disappeared.... when..." he trailed off.
Karen glared, "Mobius screwed up big time. He needed my help. Sadly, I see nothing has changed since I last left this reality."
The nurse groaned. "Oh, you better believe it. We lost contact when you... disappeared, and since then everyone's either turned up dead or like Jer."
What kind of name was Jer? "Excuse me?" I broke in, "But I really have no idea what you're talking about."
Karen facehoofed. "Right. You're just here by accident. Well, I'm here to help, that's all I'm saying. I had friends, but they're dead or somewhere in the wastes." She waved a dismissive hoof. "I hear that you brought in an earth pony a few days ago. What exactly happened?"
I explained the past two days, and Karen nodded. "You knew full well that the pony could have killed you whenever he felt like it, right?"
I nodded, then sighed. "Yes. But I couldn't bring myself to kill him. Besides, that pegasus did a number on him, and-"
"Wait, the other pony was a pegasus?" Karen interrupted nervously.
"I... yes, why?"
Karen stood there, looking shell-shocked, before crumpling. "No..."
The nurse looked equally shocked, but he moved forward to comfort his... friend, I guess.
"It's okay..." he comforted, "We don't have a way to return like you do anyway. He would have-"
"Shut up!" Karen stood. "He understood me better than anyone!" Tears formed in her eyes. "I... I loved him, and he loved me." A dark, burning hatred entered her eyes. "This is unacceptable!"
She started to charge to the stairs, but the nurse got in her way. "It wasn't his fault!"
"How do you know!?" Karen screamed frantically.
"I know... I know because I know how Fleffer was." Where do they come up with these names? "You remember how easily he got into a fight. It was only made worse when you were gone."
Karen nodded, then trudged out the door.
I gaped, then turned to the nurse. "Wait... what?"
The nurse shook his head. "Too long of a story. Just say that now is a bad time. I... I guess since you heard our conversation, Karen thinks you can be trusted. The name's Patch. At least, that's my name here." He winked, and I shook my head.
"Uhhh... name's Graymane Streak."
What just happened?
Two days later, I entered the clinic to a horrible scene. Blood spattered the walls and floor, and ponies were... essentially blown to pieces. One mare had a look of horror frozen on her face, staring at the leg on the floor in front of her, severed by a single... Super Slug. He... he wouldn't have. One stallion had so many holes in his body his intestines were spilled everywhere like a demented pinata. A group of ponies missing there heads were at the foot of the stairs. Only one could have been called not headless... if you consider half of a head still a head.
I turned to the stairs, and saw a long smear of blood leading down it, as if somepony had dragged themselves down its blood-streaked walls. I slowly stepped up the stairs. At the top, I found doors blown off their hinges. Going through the hallway, I found a room that was labeled "unnamed." I assumed it was the stallion I had brought here, and stepped inside.
I found a scene worse than downstairs, and it was all from one pony. Guts... guts were strewn over the room like streamers, and the hind legs of the poor pony were placed on the in table, as if they were flowers left by a lover. The pony itself was an open cavity, revealing what the killer had left inside the body, which was hanging from two hooks on the wall.
That certain pony breathed. I jumped back in disgust as I saw the pony's lungs working through his revealed ribcage. He lifted his head, and through the blood I saw a dark orange mane.
"No..." I whispered. I rushed up to Patch. "Patch... Patch! What happened?"
He looked at me through half-glazed eyes. I heard labored breathing and he spoke in a rasping, wheezing voice.
"He's a devil..." He whispered. "A devil...."
I looked back to the empty bed. "You mean...?"
Patch nodded. "This morning... I woke him up... He asked for some water... I left to get it... When... when I got... got... back... He... he... he..." Patch began wheezing. I stood there until he finished. "He... he had his gun. Took my... left leg in shot... I don't remember much except pain... Then more shots... then screaming..." He wheezed a little more. "I... I saw him leave... through the north exit of town... please... go after him... he won't... make it far... got... one shot in... same leg... was wounded..." Patch smiled weakly in satisfaction, then his eyes widened. But when he tried to speak, no sound came out. I read his lips and saw one word: Run.
At that moment, a bullet ripped Patch off the hooks, throwing him into the wall with a sickening crunch-smack! I looked out the window and saw the pony that I had helped, aiming straight in the window.
I ducked just a second before the shot rang through the air, tearing into the wall and leaving a huge hole. I scrambled out of the room and down the stairs. Bullets ripped into the house like a repeating beat, only broken for when I suspected the gun was being reloaded.
For one terrifying moment I slipped on some blood, and found myself staring into the stomach of the pinata pony. Screaming in terror, I wrenched my face up and wiped furiously at my muzzle. My hooves became soaked with blood, and I felt the air tear next to my ear as a bullet ripped by. Brought back into motion, I streaked out the door and into the street. Bullets ripped past, and I pounded my legs harder into the dirt road, willing myself to go faster.
When I reached the marketplace, ponies saw my terror, and the blood, and immediately chaos reigned. Feeling sick to my stomach, I used this to my advantage. I would dash behind ponies and watch as they were ripped open by the Super Slugs, and then move on. I made my way out of the plaza and into the slums of the Ponyville Wastes.
Running through the cramped streets, I was confronted many times by ponies that I had seen with One-Shot. I ignored them, and ran on, their shouts fading away. I don;t how long I ran for, but someone sudden;y grabbed my neck, lifting me off the ground.
"You! Yous the one who fucked One-Shot up, ain't you? Well, here, take this as payment!" I felt a barrel press against the back of my head, and heard the shot.
But the shot came from another gun, which was followed by the crunch of bones. Turning, I saw the pony who had grabbed me stare at me with wide eyes, the top left side of his head missing. his body crumpled, and I kept on running, seeing siding rip off buildings as shots went awry repeatedly. I ran and ran, until I found a dead end. I stared up it in terror, and heard the clop of hooves as the... thing that I had thought was a pony came closer.
I did something crazy, and it probably saved my life.
I dashed back up the alley, and rounded the corner the moment as... what should I call him? I think I'll call him demon, because that's what he is. I rounded the corner the same moment as Demon did, and his eyes widened as he saw me flash by and away.
Again I was on the run, my stuff left stupidly in my room at the inn. I rounded random corners, trying to throw Demon off, but I heard his hooves easily keeping up with mine at every turn. Finally, I slipped on a loose board in the road, and stumbled. I closed my eyes, waiting for death, embracing it.
When the shot ripped through the air, it seemed twice as loud as normal, and silence reigned again. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed.
Except me. Opening my eyes slowly, I wondered if Demon had been teasing me, drawing out the kill. I shakily stood as nothing happened, and turned to face my attacker.
What I was confronted with was a headless body that swayed unsteadily. The head rolled down the street, away from me, and the gun was left abandoned in front of the body. I stared in awe. What... had somepony actually rescued me?
Another crack-bang! lit the air, and one of the legs disappeared. The body fell, limp and lifeless at last.
I approached the body cautiously, as if expecting it to explode or something. When I reached it, I did something I never thought I would do. I spit on the body, and desecrated it. I picked up the gun with my magic and blew a few holes in the body. When the gun was out of ammo, I slammed it repeatedly into the body. When I was done venting, I stood gasping. The last... however long it had been was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.
I looked up, looking for the shooter who had saved me. What I saw shocked me more than anything.
I saw a purple-and-navy blue costume, and a mask with blue eye-holes. saw a hat that looked oddly familiar, and I saw a cape flaring out behind the pony.
I saw Mare-Do-Well.
The superhero of legend tossed something on the ground next to me, then turned abruptly and ran off. I could here their hooves clacking on the roofs of buildings, though. As if pulled by some other force, I subconsciously grabbed my saddlebag, which was what had been thrown down to the ground, and followed the clacking sound.
I followed it all the way out of town, passing by mangled bodies, crying ponies, and angry shouts -the shouts were blaming me- and went to the edge of town. I saw a dark dot racing away in the distance, and I instantly raced after it. Mare-Do-Well was real! That meant... that meant that there was a chance to save Equestria! With hope keeping me going, I followed the superhero of legend into the Wasteland.
Little did I know what the consequences would be.