I slowly opened my eyes as something bright began to pierce my vision. I slowly began to stand up, feeling a twinge of pain in my left foreleg as I put pressure on it. 'Oh Yeah.' I immediately remembered what had happened the previous night. The slave revolt, me jumping out the window and dislocating my foreleg, cutting my head open-MY HEAD WOUND! I immediately brought a hoof to the area where I cut out the tracker that was in my skull and brought it back to my vision. Dried blood was on but I didn't feel the warm liquid running down my neck, meaning it was most likely healing. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was finally free of my Slave duties, free from the over oppressive guards, free from...Steel Mustang.
'Steel, I hope you're doing alright. I'll come back for you and my brother one day. I swear.' I thought, nodding at the idea of saving both of them from their oppressors for so many years before I began walking off, further into the desert wasteland that was now my area. My home. Taking a breath of air, I choked, the stench of something brutal and dastardly taking place in my muzzle. Slowly, I began to look around, the cloud cover above me somewhat lessening my vision. Still, I brought out my knife and slowly began to trot to the smell's source. If it was a Caliphate patrol searching for me, I wasn't going to let them take me without a damn good fight. As I slowly approached the source, I charged silently, not screaming to not give away my position. I was ready to smack into a guard then stab him dead until my Hoof touched something soft and slippery. "Woah!" I exclaimed aloud as the surprise trip sent me tumbling into the desert sands.
I took a few seconds to regain my bearings before getting up, watching my surroundings for something, anything, that heard my exclamation and was coming here to check it out. Once I recognized the coast was clear, I immediately looked at what had tripped me up. A pony, a green unicorn to be exact, was laying there with what looked like a gunshot in his neck, their eyes being shriveled up and pieces of bone sticking out amongst his flesh. The smell I had encountered only a few seconds later was very strongly present here, on them. Gulping, I quickly put two and two together and realized what I had tripped on as well.
Looking at the Pony's body, I immediately traveled my eyes towards their saddlebags and immediately I went to it. He was dead and he didn't need anything in his Saddlebag anymore. Finding several rounds, a few things that looked like potions or drugs I guess, and a map. This pony obviously had a gun but was killed and that gun was taken. Whoever killed him was more interested in the gun than the loot from the saddlebag which was quite strange. Whatever the reason, this guy was dead and while he had loot, I had nowhere to carry the loot. Sighing, I took the saddlebag off the dead body, feeling sick as I heard a wet POP as the skin split from the saddlebag before I flicked the small bits of decayed skin off the center wood and placed the bag on my back. It wasn't much but it would be a good thing to use when I needed to get some loot.
Before walking off, I noticed that one of his forelegs was not on his body, but instead a few steps in front of him, like someone had cut it off before leaving it. After I investigated it, it seemed like the foreleg once had something on it before someone had ripped it off the arm quite forcefully, as the skin was long gone, ripped open instead of just being there, decaying with the rest of the foreleg. 'Strange' I thought, curious as to what was on a pony's foreleg that would force such harsh use on it. I began to walk away from the body, the mystery tickling my mind but I did not pay attention to it. It was probably some random thing that did everything.
The desert was quite warm, despite the cloud covering above the ground keeping what I assumed was great light from reaching from the sky. The feeling of the warm desert sand touching my hooves as I walked soothed my senses, though the twinge of pain from my foreleg still came to me every five seconds to remind me of the injury. I just need to find a doctor out here and have him fix my leg properly was what kept me going every time my Foreleg stung from a step.
Within a half hour, I found a nice dune of sand to lay behind and went beside it to relax. I slowly began to take in the the gray sand as the warm breeze hit me, giving a sense of satisfaction. I had went quite far from where I was yesterday. By now, I would probably be praying in a place of worship. I chuckled at the idea. I was free from that now. There was nothing Anypony could do that could convince me to Pray once more.
"Viper Flash, can I have some of the Dash you took from that guy?" I heard a masculine voice beg from behind the dune. Out of Interest, I peeked my head above the dune, which was rather small, to see three stallions crowding around a campfire and just a few steps behind them, there was what looked like a warehouse. The stallion I immediately identified as Viper Dash looked to be taking a drug that was in my saddlebag and from what the stallion next to him said to be Dash.
"Bother someone else." Viper calmly warned but the stallion persisted.
"You promised you would share!" Viper Flash's eyes flashed in rage and immediately he took what looked to be a hammer in his hoof before smashing it against the skull of the stallion who had been next to him. I watched as he continuously rammed the hammer into the poor stallions face until it was nothing but a bloody pulp, pieces of brain and puddles of blood strewn all over the place. I almost vomited but held it in as the other stallion that had been watching the whole time came over to Viper Dash.
"Weakling. You did what you had to do. Jim wants only the strongest to survive and are you not one of our strongest?"
"I guess." Viper Flash said before the stallion took a breath of Dash that he had on his body.
'Who the fuck is Jim?' I thought at the name. Jim, such a strange Name. As I began to think about leaving, I realized that the two ponies, both of whom now looking rather unkept now that I stared at them (though I probably don't look much better) were in my way of continuing. If I went in either direction besides back to where I came, an option I would never take, They would spot and probably attack me, considering how violent they were with a the stallion that is now dead. I brought out my knife and began to think as to how I would kill both of them without alerting their friends that were most likely in that warehouse that they were under attack.
"I gotta take a whizz. Be back in a bit." I heard the voice of the same stallion that re-assured Viper Flash say before Viper grunted. Hoofsteps assured me that he was coming behind my dune to take a whizz, whatever that meant. I decided to run a few feet back and sure enough, he appeared, a gun in hand and began to....urinate on the dune...huh. I guess that's what whizz means. I decided to ignore the fact and slowly began to creep on him and before he knew it, I slid my knife right across his throat while I muffled his mouth with my hoof.
I took the gun from his body and took the loot he had, which was just rounds and some...bottle caps? Strange but I guess this guy in particular liked collecting Bottle Caps. I realized I had to finish the Flash Viper off before he could look for his friend. Creeping around the dune, I approached him from behind. "Johnson, Jim just messaged me on my Pipbuck. He wants both of us to patrol the East side for any victims." He said as I began to creep up on him. What is a Pipbuck? is it some kind of messenger? "Johnson?" Flash asked warily, slowly turning around to see why his friend hadn't responded. Knowing my time was short, I lunged at him, knocking the Hammer out of his hooves but my knife was also knocked out of my hands by the force of the impact.
I began to punch him repeatedly before he could recover only for him to headbutt me and make a desperate Lunge for the Hammer he had dropped. Immediately, I regained myself from the headbutt and pulled him back, punching his spine and the back of the skull with a lot of force. He seemingly took little damage and was able to grab the hammer after a lucky strike in my groin. Knocking me on the ground, he raised his hoof to strike me with the Hammer and I braced for the hit. THWACK! Only to feel something warm splash on me and his body collapse on mine. Opening my eyes, I tossed him to the side and saw the bullet wound in his chest. Someone shot him before he could kill me. Silently thanking my savior, I took the loot in Flash Viper's saddlebag only to find caps just like his friend Johnson. Guess this whole group collects bottle caps as a hobby. I grabbed and placed the Hammer in the Saddlebag and placed my Knife in the Saddlebag as well. I looted his friends only to find a few caps on him. I sighed and began to slowly walk off.
The Moment I was a good distance away from the warehouse, I began to run only to stop due to my damn foreleg. "Ah, Goddamn it!" I exclaimed, stopping my gallop before I could pick up a great speed, holding my Left Foreleg in pain. "Fucking, Mother Fucker!" I cried out as I shook my Foreleg in Anger. I didn't care if Viper Flash's friend Jim heard me and came to attack me. I was in Fucking pain, Goddamn it!
"I would calm down if I were you, Ma'am." I heard a somewhat metallic voice say to me. Immediately, I focused my vision on a...Pegasus in Armor. Not Caliphate Armer that I have gotten used to after 16 years of seeing it every day, but something very different. His entire body was covered in what looked to be some kind of metal and his eyes seems to be slitted colors of Orange and his voice had a very metallic sound to it. I immediately grabbed the gun I had in my Saddlebag and pointed it towards him, my hoof ready to pull the trigger.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my hoof teasing the trigger very lightly as a way to show I had every intention to pull it. The pistol's hoofcoil fit snugly on my hoof and gave me very easy access to the trigger. Slowly, the pegasus began to pull out his own pistol.
"Ma'am, I think it'd be wise if you get down."
"I won't get down until you answer my-"
"GET DOWN!" Right after he yelled, several round flew by my head. immediately, the stallion in armor tackled me and shot a few rounds off in the direction that the previous rounds came from, several splats indication that they hit their target. Pulling me up, he whispered in my ear "As soon as I pull you up, start running south and don't look back. I'll be giving you cover fire while you run." before pulling me up, nodding at me to run. I began to run and heard several dozen gunshots sound out as I ran from the battle. It wasn't long till the stallion in armor began to catch up me, shooting a few rounds behind us. "Start flying!" He ordered before he opened his wings and took off to the skies. I gulped.
"I don't know how to fly!" I yelled after Him, hoping he heard me up in the skies. Running on 3 hooves was getting very tiring but I had to keep going or else --- SPLAT --- I yelped as a gunshot passed through my dislocated foreleg, bringing even more pain to myself as I fell to the ground, completely defenseless to the crazy ponies behind me, the gun in my saddlebag which I couldn't reach from laying on the ground.
"Hang on, Ma'am! I'll get help!" The stallion yelled back to me, flying away in the distance. I looked down and quickly rummaged through my saddlebag to find the gun. Finding it, I placed it on my hoof and pointed at 3 ponies who began to walk up with me, the leading one holding a knife and chuckling.
"Well, well, well. Looks like a little mare is helpless but thinks she can be a badass." He stated, his friends chuckling behind. "Listen you little whore. First, I'm going to slice you open, Second, I'll take everything you have, and third, I'll hang your Head on our warehouse. So wise up and prepare. to. di-!" He was cut off as I shot his head at nearly point blank range. The Stallion's head exploded in a mess of Brain matter, bone, blood, visercal, and eye from the force of the gunshot and the body fell limply to the ground.
"Oh fuck! She got Dark! Kill Her quickl-!" I the stallion was cut off as I shot him clean in the throat, leading to him gurgling on his blood and falling to the ground, slowly dying from lack of air. His friend attempted to raise his hammer to kill me only for me to shoot him in the chest, ending his threat to me very quickly. I felt a slight sense as quiet reigned for a short while. It didn't last long. Several more gunshots rung out in the air and one grazed my cheek. Finding a good-sized rock to hid behind, I took it as cover, several rounds ricocheting off the rock's face. Taking in courage I had not known I had and fired several rounds at the ponies. 6 times I fired and 6 times I heard bodies fall. I Fired yet another round at a pony, tripping him up by hitting his foreleg. The next time I fired, I heard a splat as another pony's head was blasted apart. I fired once more but I heard nothing, meaning my round missed. I raised my gun ready to fire at the down pony again and end him. Click. Wait what? I continuously pressed the trigger but it constantly clicked, meaning that it was out of ammunition. Normally, that means it would need to be reloaded and would not be a problem. Unfortunately, I did not know how to reload this gun. 'Shit!' I thought as the ponies got out from their cover and began to slowly trot towards me, weapons ready to kill. placing the gun in my saddlebag, I took out my knife and prepared to die fighting.
Just as the ponies approached my position, a VRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM was heard accompanied with several dozen splats. I turned around the rock to see several ponies dead and the others retreating, firing their weapons at whatever was shooting at them. I gave a sigh of relief as I began to feel woozy from blood loss. "I'm here, Ma'am. Don't worry, we can bring you some place safe. just stay awake ma'am." I slowly began to black out as the stallion from before was talking to me. I felt myself be picked up and carried through the air, but to where, I do not know.
As we both approached a steel building, I slowly began to fade out. "Major, Sir! This mare was attacked by Jim's Marauders and is in some critical need of he-" was all I heard before everything Faded to black.
Gasping for breath, I immediately stood up from the dream of being a slave once again. Was that a dream? I immediately checked my surroundings and saw not the normal cell of the room I was once in, but instead, a very wide and spaceous room with plenty of space to take up. I looked at my left foreleg to see it covered in bandages, some red pouring out to it from earlier. I decided it would be best to not try my luck with my foreleg till I was positive that it was better. I began to look around the room even more. There wasn't much of anything, just a gray metal floor, gray metal walls, my Saddlebag, a Window, and the cot that I woke on. I began to walk on three hooves as to not agitate my injured foreleg to get my saddlebag. Once reaching it, I placed it on my back and began to trot lazily to the door when I heard a knock at the door. Immediately readying myself for a fight, I took my knife out and slowly and patiently waited for it to be opened. "Come in." I said, warily but not letting whomever was on the other side of the door. It opened to show the stallion from earlier trotting into my room. I instinctively placed my knife back in the saddlebag. He saved my life after all and I shouldn't repay him by threatening to kill him.
"Hello, Ma'am. I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing." he stated, trotting towards me. "But I can see you're doing alright, so I'll try to help you get comfortable here." He said, placing a foreleg around my neck. His cool metal armor around my neck made me shiver. "I'll answer your biggest question that you have right now.Is it 'Where am I?'" he asked me. I nodded. I did not know where I currently am and if I knew then I would at least be able to put it on the Map in my Saddlebag. "Welcome to the Enclave Republic Outpost Alpha. This is currently the biggest military position for the newly branded Enclave republic, the Guardians of the Wasteland's civilians." He answered, giving a hoof to me as a hoof sake. "I'm James "Mad Dog" Mattis, Sergeant first class. You can just call me Mad Dog or Mattis, though. What about you?" He asked me.
"Shadow Flower." I answered briefly, wanting to get to the chase. "Listen, how did you find me? Also thank you for saving me from those crazies." I thanked and asked at the same time. I wanted to know how he found me so I could at least prepare myself for a future encounter.
"Wasn't hard, Miss Shadow Flower. With all that screaming you were doing, I'm surprised that a raider didn't find you before I did." He said, a smile most likely on his face. "Anyways, you don't know how to fly or reload? Meet me when you want to and I'll help train you. It'll be easy." He advised. "Oh, and here." He handed me a strange object. "It's a Pipbuck 9000. use it aid you in normal things that you need to do." Put it on your hoof and test it out." He said and I followed his instructions, putting the strange object called a 'Pipbuck 9000' on my hoof and turning it on. Immediately, a bright screen flashed on and on was the body of a pony with his forelegs and hindlegs all out while he was smiling. Curiously, I swiped towards the section that said 'Map' and I was immediately greeted with a map of the whole desert, or what I assumed was the whole desert with one location already found I pressed it and it said 'Enclave Republic Outpost Alpha'.
"Thanks. This may actually help me when I want to go somewheres." I thanked, thinking of the exploring I could do now that I had this digital map rather than the paper one in my saddlebag. Quickly, I had a thought. Was the reason that dead pony's hoof was cut off was because someone tread to remove his Pipbuck? I thought.
"You're welcome, Shadow Flower. Come down by the trainig range at any ime and I can happily help you train for the future. I hope to see you soon." With that, he left. I guess I was here for the time being. Oh well. As the door closed behind the stallion, I thought silently about how much I would be able to do here and perhaps better myself for future situations. Maybe this and not my escape was my beginning in this desert place. I smirked, silently thinking of myself a hero. Shadow Flower, the Desert Vigilante. I liked that. I guess I would be trained by the Enclave for the time being. I almost fell to the floor after taking a step from sheer exhaustion. I guess training will wait until I rest up. I shrugged, slowly trotting towards and on my cot. Tomorrow, I begin my training. I hoped I could do very well as I slowly faded to sleep on my cot, giving me dreams that truly made me more hopeful for my future here than before I awoke in this place.