Fallout: New Pegasus

by markhaox14

I Fought the Law...

{BEGIN DAY 2 LOG TRANSMISSION}

Day 2, July 25

0600 Hours

I woke up as I fell a bit before hitting the ground with a thud. "Gah... that... that smarts..." I groaned, wincing in pain. I stood up, and noticed the thin sheet still covering my midsection a bit. I draped it off, and turned to the desk. Not a very good bed whatsoever. I stretched my legs a bit, then my right wing. I wasn't planning on sitting around for long, and I approached the door to the office, pushing on it to open it.

The sunlight immediately flooded into the room as I did, and I squinted my eyes, using my hooves to open while I used my wing to shade me. I got used to the light, and I turned to my Pip-Boy, tapping the items and retrieving my sunglasses. I placed them on, and looked around the area. Yesterday, I only knew there was an intersection and an office. Now, there was an abundance of dry bushes, rock layers, sand, and a lone sign standing at the corner of the intersection. I trotted to the sign, and began to read:

<--- Las Pegasus 68
22 Primm --->

I thought for a moment. Sure, Speak Easy did say the asshole who shot me was headed to Primm, but if his final destination was New Pegasus, why not cut to the left and save myself some time? So I traveled up the Long 15, literally patting myself on my back with my wing for what I thought was a genius decision.

---

0630 Hours

After awhile, I found myself in some small town of some sort. I looked around, and noticed a few shacks on the side of the road. "Um... hello?" I announced clearly, hoping to be heard. After a moment of silence, I decided the town was either asleep or abandoned, and I turned back to the road to find myself face to face with a burly body. As my face bumped against their hide, I quickly backed away a bit, finding myself in front of a rather large earth pony, wearing a hard hat and carrying a sledgehammer in his foreleg. I immediately lowered my ears in complete fright.

"Hold on just a moment..." he said in a low, almost weary voice.

I trembled a bit, crouching low. "Look man, take whatever you want! My caps, my clothes, my dignity, just take it and let me go!"

The pony cocked an eyebrow, and chuckled a bit. "I ain't here to rob ya. Just to give ya a fair warnin'. If I were you, I'd turn back now."

I felt myself stand up, and I cocked my eyebrow. "Huh? Turn back? But I'm heading to New Pegasus!"

"Well, then head through Primm to the 95. You're signing your death warrant if you follow the road."

I was now more curious than terrified. "What's that way?"

"Dragons. You'd be mad if you went that direction. An entire wing of dragons is inhabiting an old mine and a plant just north of here."

"A wing of dragons? That doesn't sound dangerous! That sounds awesome!"

"You been living under a rock? Dragons will not hesitate to eat ya."

"I think I can manage. So... what are you doing way out here?"

The pony sighed, before speaking. "Well, I'm a quarry worker for the concrete plant north of here. Work proudly for the NLR. Well... not much working currently..."

"NLR?"

"New Lunar Republic. Led by Empress Luna herself."

I think I felt something inside my chest thump at that. Luna, when I was just a colt, was perhaps the most beautiful pony I had ever seen. Even it was just in murals and posters... it was like looking at something not of this world. "Em-Empress... Luna?"

"Yeah. You have been living under a rock, huh? No worries, friend."

"Um... yeah..." I said, a bit disappointed. I shook my head, and continued, "Well, I gotta head off now. Nice to meet you, Mr..."

"Stone. Lime Stone. And it was a pleasure to meet you. Emphasis on was."

...what a dick. I trotted further north along the Long 15, and eventually came across a small canyon entrance on the side of the road. I ignored it at first, until something stepped out of it; a small, green reptile. I turned to it, fascinated. "Hey there!" I hailed, waving my right wing at it. The thing looked once, and immediately bounded for me at a frightening pace. I backed away a bit, not sure what to expect.

When the thing was close enough, it made such a leap at me, and instantly, I saw it swipe. A sudden rush of pain flowed to my head, and immediately, I felt something warm drip onto it. In a moment, I realized I was bleeding.

I saw the little bastard, no taller than me, recover from their attack, and prepare to leap again. I wasn't going to give it the pleasure, and I galloped full speed away from it. I looked back once, and immediately wished I hadn't. The damn thing was chasing me as well... at an almost faster speed. I immediately turned back forward to find something red shoot past my ear. I ducked and hid under my hooves, just waiting for my death...

I heard a few zips and zaps, followed by a bellowing groan. I dared not look up. After a moment of silence, something lifted me up, and I shrieked, knowing this was the end. "Whoa, pardner... it's alright... you're safe..." That tinny yet friendly voice... I peered up, and saw AJ, holding me up. Her appearance was different, though... the machine she occupied seemed completely different than in Goodsprings. It wasn't the boxy looking pony it was before... it looked much more realistic and natural, with both actual limbs and a head.

"A-AJ? W-what are you doing here...?" I asked weakly.

"I'll explain it to you when we get outta here... you're bleedin' like a tractor with a gas leak. Didn't anypony ever tell ya not to play with dragons like that?" Speaking of dragons... I turned back to my attacker... but couldn't find it at first. AJ pointed me to a nearby gray spot on the road... and I recognized it as ash.

I felt extremely woozy, and before I knew it, I was out cold...

---

0800 Hours

I woke up to feel something prick my neck, and I gasped out, immediately reaching for it. I felt something metal stop my hoof, however, and the sting was taken out of my neck after a moment. "Glad you had a few stimpaks, pardner... otherwise, you're handsome face would've been permanently damaged."

I sat up, and stroked my face with my wing. The cut was still there, but the bleeding seemed to have stop. I was quite amazed, and I turned to AJ. "Hey... AJ... what happened to you? You look... you look different..."

"My personality module can be used in many Bronco makes. Right now, I'm inside a Guardian Bot."

I felt my head again. "What's in that stimpak? I mean, I've had them for a good while, but I haven't even bothered using them."

"Some fancy elixir made round these parts. But I'm glad to see you're doin' much better."

Though I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, something bugged me. "Hey AJ... how did you find me?"

"I followed you. Didn't want to see anythin' bad happen to you."

I nodded. Sure, it was a little creepy... OK, a lot creepy to have someone follow you. But she did it for a good reason, and I couldn't be more thankful. I looked around, and found that I was inside the office once again. "Thanks, AJ. It means a lot for you to help me out."

"Maybe you can return the favor soon, Class."

"Yeah... maybe..." She seemed to notice the distress in my voice.

"You might not be able to make it to New Pegasus through the Long 15... but... what if I helped you go along the 95?"

I turned to her, her smile wide. I really felt I couldn't turn down her offer... for the reasons that her smile did seem reassuring and that everything out in the wastes probably wanted to kill me. I smiled back, and nodded. "You know what, AJ? I'd like that." She extended one of her mechanical forelegs, and I bumped her hoof with mine.

"Come on, then. If we hurry, we'll make it to Primm by sunset!"

I nodded, left the office room with AJ, and stared at the intersection once more. I turned my attention to the south, and nodded. "Alright... let's do what I should have done in the first place and head to Primm." The two of us trotted down the road, seeing a large wooden structure in the distance marking our destination.

---

1300 Hours

"So... that building over there is a... what?" I asked, both of us approaching a large dip in the road splitting off the town.

"A roller coaster. An Old Equestria doohickey that sure showed ponies a swell time!" AJ responded, until we heard a shrill whistle. We both turned to see a pony, wearing some strange olive garbs along with what I thought were a pith helmet and some sort of goggles.

"Hold up. Primm's off limits to civilians," the pony clarified.

"What's up in Primm?" I asked, hoping that it wasn't overrun by the same dragons.

"Some Stable 19 lunatics are holed up inside the town, threatening to blow up any civilians if we intervene."

"Oh, man... is it really that bad?"

"I'm 'fraid so."

AJ spoke up this time. "Anything that can be done?"

"While the toll would be too high if we do anything, sitting on our flanks isn't much better. You wanna find out what you can do, head down this road to the tents. You'll find our commanding officer there."

"Um... AJ, are you sure about this?" I asked, a little unsettled about hearing of lunatics from a Stable I didn't even know that had already shunned me.

"Yes, I am. Those poor folk are hiding in their closets and can't come out. It's also the only way we can hear more about that pony that attacked you."

"Well, if you insist..." The two of us trotted down the road, noting how much of the houses and stores around here were obliterated and ransacked. Large scorch marks painted each store's windows and what little remained of their crumbled foundation. "Sheesh... did the lunatics do this?"

"Seems like it, First Class. Look at the buildings... them's clearly dynamite explosions."

"Yeah... that's a little terrifying. Let's just hurry up so I can leave. Luna, I'm starting to hate Palomino more and more..." That last bit, I muttered to myself so as not to draw AJ's attention. After another minute of trotting past more rubble and charred homes, we both ended up in a small town square, where a barrel was lit and two more ponies in the same uniform stood around it, both helmeted as well. They turned to me, almost as if my presence alone was enough to diversify their day. "So... uh... who's the commanding officer?"

"You're looking for Matterhorn? He's inside his tent," one of them responded, pointing to a canopy on the left.

"Yeah sure, thanks," I said quickly. I really didn't care about wasting anymore time than I had to in this hellhole. I trotted to it, opened the flap, and saw the only pony inside, decked in the same olive drabs but instead of wearing the pith helmets I saw before, he wore a beret of some sort. Before I could say anything, he spoke to me.

"Captain Matterhorn of the New Lunar Republic, Dreadnought Squadron, Third Division. How may I be of service?" This guy was no nonsense right off the bat.

"Um... good afternoon... sir. I have urgent matters to tend to in Primm, but I heard it was in the hooves of some Stable 19... criminals."

Matterhorn nodded. "Poppers, they call themselves. Different gang than those in Stable 19 but trouble nonetheless. There's only four... but they're armed to the teeth with dynamite from the quarry further north of here."

The sheer mention of the place where I almost got torn to pieces made me shutter a bit. And the mention of being armed with dynamite from the quarry made it much more obvious why these demons now set up a wing there. "Well, here's what I have to say... I need to get into that town and find out some info of a... friend that passed through here a few days back. Where are the locals?" In retrospect, I really could have worded that much more subtly.

"Across the overpass, taking refuge in the Laden Saddle Casino. And before you do anything that risks either their or your life, you shouldn't cross." I really couldn't leave this town without knowing if my would-be assassin was still there or not, which made me all the more irritated.

"Anything that you can do?"

"Not without the Poppers noticing and tossing dynamite left and right. And nopony in this division is risking to go it alone."

Immediately, I wondered why these guys were even posted here to begin with if they weren't so dedicated to defending the town. Before I could respond, though, AJ yet again spoke her mind... or whatever she ran on. "What about the two of us?"

I felt my heart drop at that, and my eyes widen. "Wait, what!?"

"It's a dangerous task, and there's two major risk factors. The first is the safety of the residents inside the Saddle. If they end up as casualties, this town isn't going to be worth trying to defend anymore. The second is yourselves. One of the gangers is armed with a rifle, and patrols on the old coaster."

"And the others?" I asked.

"Pop Corn, the leader of this small outfit, has a flamer. With all the dynamite they have, him using it could end badly..."

I said nothing at that. The thought of an explosion like the one I witnessed in Goodsprings was not my idea of going out. "Uh... excuse me for just a moment..." I left the tent a bit quickly, headed to the nearest ransacked home, and sat on a bed, trembling. I turned sharply to AJ, who had followed me throughout my quick retreat. "OK... what I did in Goodsprings... I actually did because I was indebted to the town. What has this town done for me? Set me up to get shot in the first place!? Not something I take too kindly to!"

AJ snorted, some steam shooting from her nostrils, directly at me. "You know... I figured you for a guardian, First Class. A selfless one at that. But after seeing what happened earlier with the dragons and what you're telling me now, you're nothing but some Fiend who only looks out for himself."

"You know what I say to that? Tough shit. Up until now, I've traveled alone and have hardly ever run into trouble. The only reason I did this time was because that town gave me..." As I stopped, I tapped my Pip-Boy's Items, looked a bit for my delivery note, and selected it. As soon as it appeared, I pressed it against her eyes, moving it back and forth for her to get a clear look. "Whatever the hell an Obsidian Horseshoe is! I say we leave this town to its fate, just continue along the 95, and hopefully wander aimlessly until we find the asshole who did this to me."

"And you really think that's the best idea? To wander aimlessly? If it is, you're a bigger moron than I could have ever imagined. OK... think of it this way. You save the town... and they're indebted to you. How are they gonna pay that? Leading you to the ponies and their hides with a solid location."

"Doesn't seem all that fair a trade off, AJ. Again... this town could rot for all I care. Let the Poppers blow it-" I was cut off by a sudden blow to my cheek, and I was thrown to the floor, grasping at it as it stung. I looked up to see AJ's hoof extended, glaring at me, her teeth gritted.

"Don't you dare finish that. And again... this isn't going to be just about you, First! You need to look at the bigger picture here! Think about others!"

"Thinking like that is what's going to get me killed, AJ..." I groaned out, still trying to fix my jaw.

"No... thinking like that is gonna save your hide one of these days. And as soon as you see it, you'll understand. But right now, you will go back into that tent, and you will offer our help. Otherwise... you can travel on your own, friend."

I merely grimaced, clenching my jaw as I did. I spit out a bit of blood from my muzzle, and stood up. I confronted AJ, her glare matching my own. After a moment, I spit to the side another few droplets of blood, and I spoke in a low voice. "Fine... but as soon this town's OK... we make sure we get what we're looking for... and for the record, friend... go fuck yourself..." Without waiting for her reply, I pushed her to the side, stormed out the house, and reentered the tent. Matterhorn, now sitting in front of a desk and drinking something from a small mug, turned to me. "So what would be the best approach to do this?" I asked after a few seconds.

He stood up, setting his mug down. "Take out the pony on the coaster, Kernel. Follow the tracks until you can reach the second floor of the building in the back. Head down to the first using the first set of stairs you see, and take out Pop before he can use the flamer. Good luck, and goodbye."

I was a bit surprised he didn't bother to listen to whether I thought that idea was good or not, but at this point, I didn't really care anymore. "Alright. AJ... let's get going..." We both left the tent, and trotted until we reached the NLR's side of the overpass. Another trooper stood guarding the entrance, and he turned to me.

"Watch out for any traps. They've set up some charges around the Buffalo Casino."

Great... traps. I nodded, and slowly walked across the overpass with AJ behind me. I really didn't want to speak to her, but sooner or later I was, so I figured now would be best. "So... how should we do this then, oh great and powerful AJ?" If she couldn't detect the mockery in my tone, I'd truly be speechless.

"Two ways we can, oh big and amazing douchebag." ...fucking hell, I hate artificial intelligence sometimes... "We can either go in, guns blazing through the front door... or do what that there captain said and take out Kernel."

"Definitely the subtle route. I say we do like Matterhorn said and take out the pony on the coaster. The problem is... how to do it without getting picked off from a distance?"

We reached the other side of the overpass... nothing made a sound, and yet the buildings looked intact. In a moment, I added it up. "The townsfolk are the only reason these guys are still alive. Without them, the Poppers would have been taken out by the NLR troopers long before we got here. They're not going to do anything rash either. I don't think they know where they're taking refuge, though. Otherwise, it'd be a hostage situation instead."

"So what then?"

"The captain... he said the settlers were in the Laden Saddle Casino. I say we do whatever we can to get them out of there first before trying to take these gangers on. Safer for everypony."

AJ turned to me, and chuckled. "Hey... you're actually usin' your noggin for once!"

"Oh shut it, AJ. I'm still gonna get you back for that cheap shot earlier..." I warned. We both neared the Laden Saddle, a neon sign hanging off the wall revealing its name. The lights were shot out, and would probably never work again. We turned to an alleyway, and I entered it slowly, drawing my pistol out. With the silencer now attached to it, it was a bit more visible, but I felt much better about using it without letting anypony else know... well... not that they had a say in it.

"What in tarnation are ya doin'?"

"You never know how these ponies are gonna react to me and you just strolling into the casino, AJ. Better safe than sorry." She obviously wasn't too keen on that idea, but she knew I wasn't wrong either. She sighed, and I heard a whirring noise emerge from her. After a moment, I saw a panel on her side hide itself, and soon replaced with a small blaster. "That what you used against the dragon earlier?"

"Yeah. Automatic laser built on my left side. My right is a plasma caster!"

I noticed how happy she sounded revealing this, and I knew she was probably excited to use either. "Alright... follow me closely... and don't make a sound." I creeped slowly towards a large metal door, rusted from a century or two from standing still for so long. I grabbed the knob, turned the handle, and as I pushed it open, I winced as it made a constant yet obvious squeaking noise. As soon as the gap was wide enough, I slipped through the opening, and crouched low, alert and ready.

I looked around a bit, the room lit slightly from a flickering overhead light. It seemed to be a cashier's office... a lot like the ones in New Reno. The registers remained closed, so I assumed the building hadn't been looted yet. I aimed through the sights of my pistol, and slowly made my way to the window. Before I peeked up, I turned to AJ. "AJ... cover my back and watch that door," I whispered, pointing to the door leading into the casino.

She nodded, and turned her gun to aim in that direction. I turned back to the window, slowly raised my eyes to level the counter, and peered into the casino. The interior wasn't as large as others in New Reno, but the decor within made up for it. Slots lined the walls from edge to edge, some of them still functional and blaring a bit with cheery rings. A few feet more, moving towards the center, were roulette, poker, and blackjack tables all positioned in a square around the circle. And the piece of resistance... a cart, directly in the middle, surround on all sides by a fence. The cart itself was majestic; gold trimming lining the wheels, the metal encompassing the body a chrome of some kind, and upon a more careful view, some nice velvet seats.

The denizens of the casino, however, weren't as luxurious. Looking at them, I thought they were drifters without homes judging by the rags they wore. That thought quickly went south as I saw each of them owning a firearm of some sort, holstered onto their waists. These ponies were more than ready to handle any punk who trespassed in here.

I lowered my head, and turned to AJ. "OK... these ponies aren't helpless... so maybe we can leave them here. Let's get outta here and deal with the Poppers. Maybe then we can knock and announce 'Hey, you're problems solved! Now go home!'"

"Alright." We both slowly crept back to the back door... until I heard a loud thud. I winced, and turned back to AJ, whose body had just backed into a metal trashcan. A sense of dread hit me, and I felt my body tense up.

"Oh, dear Luna..." I said, terrified. I twitched my ears, hearing a hushing murmur from the other side of the window, followed by a series of clicks. It was obvious now that they were opening their holsters, and I turned to AJ. "Well, thank you for fucking us over!" I whispered harshly. "We gotta leave now!"

She nodded, and opened the back door widely. I sprung from the crouching position I had to a dive towards the door, landing on my stomach in the streets of the alleyway. I stood up quickly, dusted myself off, and turned back to the door. AJ galloped out a second later, and I heard a door to the office hit the wall, opened widely and a few of the citizens pouring in. I galloped out of the alleyway at a pace I could probably never repeat, coming up to the street quickly. As soon as I reached it, I immediately turned the corner, and hid out of sight from the alleyway, pressing my back and head against the wall of a store adjacent to the casino, breathing hard and feeling my lungs burning.

I heard a slight shouting from the alley, and then a few thuds. After a moment, AJ came tumbling out of the entryway, in the middle of a scrap between another pony. I rushed to the two, lifted the local off of AJ, and punched him as hard as I could with my hoof. I then pulled him out of the alleyway's entrance, and slammed him against the wall, holding my gun to the side of his head. "Don't you dare mess with her."

AJ trotted up to me, and turned back to the alley. "First... we're gonna have company soon..."

I paid no mind. I still held the pony, now struggling and squirming, hostage, my gun still against his temple. "Don't worry, AJ... I got a plan..." After two seconds, a group of ponies came out of the alley, and as soon as they spotted me, aimed at me. I merely glanced at them, and nodded to AJ. "Draw your guns, AJ..."

She hesitated a bit, before doing so, both her caster and laser ready and aimed at the group. They still had their guns trained on me. "OK... nopony move..." I cut AJ off and finished for her.

"You're going to get yourselves killed, you know. I don't care if I die... but if you really think you can take down my friend here... then you're sorely mistaken. So I suggest you all drop your guns, and listen to me." They obviously weren't too fond of that, and as a response, I pulled the hammer of the pistol. They flinched, and all of them lowered their weapons. I grinned. "There. Now listen! I'm not here to make enemies with Primm. If anything, I'm here for you. I heard you had a little problem regarding some ponies inside your Buffalo Casino. And I'll surely help you out on that... for one thing..."

"You ain't gettin' shit from us!" one of the mobbers said, and as AJ stomped her hoof at them, the mobber remained silent.

"No, I'm not asking for caps. No, what I want... is the name and direction of a pony. And I want it now..." I hissed out, glaring at the pony I now held. Silence... a slight wind the only disturbance of the desolate streets. Then the mobbers holstered their weapons. I released the pony I held, and he trotted back to the mob, stumbling as he did. "Listen... I'm not here to kill anypony but the Poppers. Now... we got off on the wrong hoof. I do hope we can start fresh... otherwise, if it does turn out ugly, AJ here won't take too kindly to that. Name's First Class."

Everypony stared at me in disbelief for a moment, then one of them stepped up... the same one who did before. "Deputy Nova. And... are you really here for the Poppers?" he asked skeptically.

I nodded. "So long as I get the information I want. AJ?"

She deactivates her weaponry, and her eyes, a blood red and her pupil slitted, now opened a bit more and returned to green. "Name's AJ. I'm just here to escort First Class here and protect him." I cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Nova nodded. "OK... I think... I think we can arrange a deal... but only if you get rid of those damn Poppers."

"No... you're going to give me the name and direction... and then you're going to trust that I'll handle this."

Nova stood for a moment, then sighed. "...fine. You seem like a stallion of your word. So... who are you looking for?"

"AJ... what did you say he looked like?"

"Short stallion, black mane, white and blue suit, talked like a schmuck. Know of him?"

Nova nodded. "Yeah... we know who you're talkn' about. Bugsy, he called himself. Skipped town yesterday. Followed the Long 15 south, headin' towards Dodge."

I simply nodded, taking that into memory. I pulled the slide back on my pistol, and trotted down the street, seeing only a glimpse of the Buffalo Casino. I turned back to the others. "That sniper up there... Kernel... does he go to sleep at all?"

"Yeah. At dusk."

"Perfect. Why don't you invite me inside? I'm not gonna do anything until then, so might as well make the most of it."

Nova nods, and all of us trotted back into the alley... well, with the exception of the pony I slammed. He lingered behind a bit, following from a distance. I leaned over to AJ, and whispered, "I honestly didn't think that'd work..."

---

1800 Hours

I took another drag from the cigarette in my wing. I had checked out what the remaining sections of my Pip-Boy did, and I fiddled with it a bit. I had discovered a few radio stations other than San Palomino Music Radio. New Pegasus had its own radio station, along with a station called Mysterious Broadcast, a station labeled Shangri-La Broadcast, and a station named Equestria Now. I had tuned to each of them: SPMR played songs of the old country of Palomino, RNP played swing and big band music, MB played jazz and blues, SLB played a looping message that irritated me, and EN played a variety of genres.

I did favor how the Pip-Boy was organized, and how much weight it could hold before it became much more heavier to lug around. After a few more inspections and checks, I decided I was quite familiar with the device now, and I felt a bit more comfort wearing it around my foreleg. I checked my jumpsuit, and noticed the new hood I had stitched in. While I wasn't much of a repairman, I did enjoy the occasional tailoring. It was a remnant of an old life, and I slipped the hood over my head. I had also found a bandana to use as a face mask, and I had it wrapped around my neck in preparation.

I checked the time... and stood up afterwards. I turned to AJ, who had shut down for a moment to conserve energy. I trotted to her, and switched her back on. After a moment to get herself settled, she turned to me. "Hey, First. We ready to do this?"

"Yeah. It should be dark enough for us to get into the casino without getting caught." I was about to stand up and leave the Laden Saddle, when Nova stopped me. He handed me a firearm; a rifle, complete with a carrying handle, stock, pistol grip, and rather worn-looking.

"Service rifle given to us by Matterhorn across the bridge. I really don't need it, and nopony else around here does either."

I took it, and inspected it a bit. "Uh... it's a bit... brownish in color..."

"That's how it's made. Matches the desert environment out here. It's actually fairly clean."

I nodded, and again inspected it. It had the potential to be a good weapon, but for now, I didn't plan on using it. But I kept the weapon anyway, phasing it into my Pip-Boy and thanking Nova. I led AJ out the back door of the casino, and reentered the alley, putting out my cigarette as I did. "AJ, can you go further down the alley and get a good view of the coaster?"

"Yeah. I'll let ya know if I can see anypony." She trotted out of sight into the darkness. I waited a moment, feeling my face with my wing. The cut I received earlier from the dragon was no longer there... and I wondered how it could happen. After a minute, AJ trotted back to me. "Kernel is long gone. Let's get going."

I nodded, and followed AJ closely, a bit blind to the outside yet again. I placed a hoof on her back as she guided me through the alley, and onto the other street. She guided me until we reached a lone lamppost standing just in front of the casino, where I regained a bit of visibility. I let go of AJ for a moment, and she turned back to me. "Something wrong, First?"

I felt myself unable to speak at the moment, merely feeling... I don't know... useless. "AJ... be honest with me... am I really you're friend? Or just some asshole you feel sorry for?" She winced a bit as I asked this, and I turned back to her, my eyes filled with morose.

She walked up to me a bit. "Why do you say that?"

I looked all around me, the only visible light two or three feet in diameter. "AJ... I'm blind... I was close to the brink of death twice, and both times you saved me... and just now... you called yourself my protector. Am I just that, AJ? Just a runt who can't even take care of himself?"

She obviously knew she hit some sensitive grounds, judging by how she backed up a bit. She grimaced, and looked away for a bit. I shook my head, and just continued towards the silhouette of the coaster. I stumbled immediately as I did, and tripped. I landed hard on my muzzle, and groaned. I stood up, shook myself off, and continued. She galloped up to me, and stopped me with her hoof. "First, wait... please..."

"I know... I need your help..." I replied, closing my eyes. I wasn't going to let her see my tears... and I was a bit relieved I had my hood over my head to help with that.

"You ain't helpless, First. You helped out the folks in Goodsprings against the gang. And you're about to do it again. And I'm sorry for saying that. You're not under me, First. If anything... I would rather be you than myself."

"Why...?" I asked raspily, irregularly breathing a bit.

"You're an actual pony, First. You got things I'd only imagine... real emotions... real eyes... heck... I'd give up my personality to be like you."

I turned to her, and wiped my eyes with my hoof. I nodded, and simply turned back to the coaster. "Just... just lead the way... I don't... I don't feel like talking about it right now." She nodded, and held my hoof as she led me up the tracks, following them until we reached the back of the hotel. I had gotten a bit more control over myself, and I placed my bandana over my muzzle. I pulled my pistol out, pulled the slide back, and held it in my wing. The coaster had stopped at the second floor of the resort, and the doors leading into it led into a corridor. The hallways were dimly lit, and I could see much more clearly within. I trotted down the halls, AJ behind me. We checked each room quietly, yet found every single one to be empty.

I thought for a moment. "First floor... that's probably where they are."

"What do we do?"

I thought for a moment. "...I need you to find wherever they hide their dynamite. Take it out of here, and give it to Matterhorn across the way."

"And you? I can do that right quickly."

I tapped my Pip-Boy, selected my straight razor, and held it in my left hoof. "Just... just let me do this, AJ..."

She wanted to argue... I could tell by how she lifted her hoof up at first. But she decided not to, and instead left down the set of stairs. I would have followed, but considering I could put us both at risk doing so, I instead followed the corridor until I reached an elevator. I tapped the button calling the machine, and waited until the box ringed open. I stepped inside, holding both my wing and my left hoof upwards, weapons free. As the doors closed, I felt as though I was ready to die... completely different than earlier when I wanted to leave this town for dead. I saw the lights indicating the floor the elevator was arriving at flicker, and immediately, I used the side bars to climb to the ceiling, using my remaining three free hooves to hold my place, peering down.

As soon as the doors opened with a ding, and just like I thought, somepony came inside, carrying a machete. I released my grip, and fell on top of him. He was about to shout for help, but I used my right hoof to cover his mouth while I used my left to place the razor against his neck. With a quick and clean slice, I severed his carotids, and he began to instantly bleed out, soaking the elevator floor a bit. As soon as I felt his pulse was gone, I lifted his body up, holding it in front of me. I slowly stepped out of the elevator, dragging the corpse in front of me.

I crept slowly, making my way through a lobby I had now entered. I saw a set of double doors, and I drudged towards them. As soon as I reached them, I opened them, and another ganger fired a revolver at me. I held the corpse of the first directly in front of me, using his body like a sponge. I aimed my gun at the attacker, and fired two shots at him with a quick tut-tut sound, both landing between his eyes. He fell over, unmoving, and I continued my slow advance. I found myself in another corridor, leading to a small bar of some sort. Of course... they were getting drunk... made it obvious to find them.

I continued dragging the body in front of me, and as soon as I entered the bar, a loud pow rang, followed by a splatter of blood over my clothing and face. In a moment, I realized the cadaver's head exploded from a rifle wound to the left side of the head. I dropped it, and pressed my back against a wall just outside the bar. "Boy, you ain't gonna come in here without getting you're skull shot off. I fought the law!" I heard one of them declare.

I took a deep breath, yet again pulling out my razor. I made an immediate dive into the bar, another rifle shot ringing in my ears followed by a zip in a wall just behind me. I recovered quickly, saw the pony that shot at me pulling the bolt on his rifle, and without hesitation, fired a shot directly into his left eye. I saw him recoil a bit, fall backwards, and land on the ground, twitching. "And the law won..." I looked quickly, and saw the last pony, Pop, carrying his flamer. He stood on the other side of the room, and we both knew that fire wasn't going to reach me. But I couldn't get close to him either to make a surefire shot to take him out. He surprised me instead... he took a bottle in hooves, smashed it, and raised it towards me.

I accepted the challenge, drew my own razor, and raised it towards him. "Son... I'm about to teach you what happens when you fuck with the wrong gang."

"Yeah... they die..." I replied back, hissing. He charged at me first, and as he galloped, he threw a chair at me. I ducked quickly, and as he leaped to slam onto me, I rolled out of the way. He stabbed the sharpened of the glass into the floorboards, shattering it further. I took the opportunity to swipe my blade at him barely making a small cut into his hoof. He gasped out in pain, and punched me with his free hoof, knocking my face to the side. As soon as I turned back, I saw Pop grabbing the nozzle of the flamer again, preparing to use it. Quickly, I reached for it as well, and as soon as he pressed the trigger, I shoved it upwards, the flames flashing out to the ceiling.

I struggled as he attempted to bring the nozzle down towards me, grinning as he did. I felt myself gasping, trying as much as I could to prevent that from happening. "You ain't gonna win, boy... you're a pegasus. You're born weak..."

I twitched my ears a bit, and under my mask, gritted my teeth. Rather than try to prevent him from lowering it, I released it, and quickly slipped between his legs and behind him. I grasped at his tank before he could react, and pulled his head back. "That may be... but I'm much faster than you..." I shoved him as hard as I could away from me, and as he fell over a table, I shot at his tank twice, causing it to erupt in a ball of flame, and covering him in it. He shrieked as he began to feel his skin boil and melt around him, and his agony continued as he rolled on the ground constantly. After thirty seconds of what even I considered torture just watching, I saw as his limbs slowly curl unnaturally, and his back arch backwards. His smoldering corpse still burned brightly, and I shook my head at the sight.

I backed away a bit, and bumped into AJ. I turned to her, and she looked at the still bright pile of flesh. "Come on... let's get going, First..." I simply nodded, feeling a little lightheaded at what I just witnessed. I holstered my weapons, and we both trotted out of the casino, towards the Laden Saddle. We entered through the front door this time... considering the danger was now gone. I felt the townsfolks' eyes all turn to me, and for a moment, I thought it was my day of reckoning.

"Are they... gone?" Nova asked. I nodded, grasping my head with my wing. Nova slowly began to form a smile, and then he hooted in glee. "Hell yeah! Everypony! We can now rest easy thanks to this kind fella here!"

The others erupted in a roar of a cheer, and I sighed. Then I chuckled... I don't really know why I felt bad to see that happen... maybe because nopony deserves to suffer? I shook it off, and grew a bit more cheerful as well. "I preferred Pop Corn... burnt anyways..." I said to myself, still laughing. I turned to Nova. "I really hate to bring this to you after we made a deal but... do you have a place to stay for me? I don't dare want to venture the desert yet."

Nova nodded, and handed me a key. "Room in the second floor of this building. Room B5."

I nodded, and trotted upstairs. I found the room he designated, and opened it. The bed was a queen, the room was surprisingly clean with carpets that didn't have much dirt, and the light fixtures overhead worked. I slinked into the bed, pulled the blanket over me, and was about to sleep, when my Pip-Boy began to play the drums once again. I picked my head up, tapped the machine, and saw that I had yet again leveled up. Guns 42%, Energy Weapons 24%, Unarmed 18%, Melee 42%, Explosives 24%, Medicine 24%, Sneak 44%, Lockpick 37%, Science 24%, Repair 25%, Speech 22%, Barter 22%, and Survival 18%. Only my Lockpick increased this time. My HP raised to 190, my AP increased to 100, and my XP read 910/1050.

I tapped my Perks. Another glow appeared below Rapid Reload, and I tapped it. The needle inside the Pip-Boy yet again pricked me, and I winced as it did. After it was done, a new phrase appeared under Rapid Reload; Friend of the Night. I cocked an eyebrow, and tapped it. My eyes widened as I did, though... it read that my vision during dusk and night was improved dramatically, and that I could see even under low light conditions. I gasped a bit... and felt a smile cross my face. This was literally a dream come true, and I was living it. I shut off the lights, and true to word, everything seemed to appear a bit green... exactly like the Cat Eye I took. I smiled widely, laid in my bed, and with one more yawn, I closed my eyes, falling asleep for the night.

{END DAY 2 LOG TRANSMISSION}

Comments

[Deathpony]

I like this