//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: A Fight to Remember 
// Story: Fallout Equestria: Our Will (rewrite) 
// by AngryPenguin 
//------------------------------//


"What you are doesn't reflect who you are."


I yawned. Redd had woken us up so that we could get an early start on our journey. Oh, how I wished I could sleep in. It didn't help that I was trotting at a slow pace to help Nico when he needed it. I wished he wouldn't be so stubborn. As he limped along, I kept asking if he wanted a syringe of Med-X. The annoyance in his voice when he said "no" the last time, was a sign I needed to shut up. I had grown pretty tired after walking for half the day. I occasionally bumped into Nico. Finally, he decided it was time to stop and rest. We were already several miles from Floater.

"Alright, let's stop and rest. You need a nap." He said, looking for a safe place to stop.

"Yeah.. Sleepy time..." I murmured through snores.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I had to catch myself from falling on my face. Well, I didn't catch myself. Redd did. I smiled and dozed off while laying across his back. "You smell nice." I mumbled.

"Thanks... I guess?" He said.

It was a peaceful nap. No nightmares or worry. I felt safe with Redd and Nico with me. They were like my own, personal bodyguards. Hopefully, they wouldn't start an all out brawl while I was asleep. They would just have to learn to get along for the rest of the trip. The moment Redd showed up at my door, I felt safe. He was a part of my small group of friends, growing up. Mostly, because Violet was his cousin. Sometimes, all of us would go to the cafe and buy smoothies. Wick and Chaser would come, too. I missed those days, terribly. At least, I had one old friend with me.

"-believe you told them that." I awoke to Redd's hushed tone.

Blinking, I noticed I was lying on some torn cushions. It looked like we were in a furniture store. Light showing through the busted windows helped me to see the old stuff scattered around. Some pieces of furniture were broken and torn, most of it had been burned. Trash littered the floor in the small store. The years had not been good to this place.

I still heard the two stallions talking, but it was pretty muffled. Getting to my hooves, I followed the sound of their voices. Before I reached the exit, I spotted a metal box hidden under an armoire. Upon closer inspection, I saw my name scribbled on the side. It had to be another pony named Sienna. I inspected the lock. It was shut tight.

"Oh, you found a medical box." The stallions appeared next to me. Nico tilted his head.

"It has Sia's name on it, too." Redd picked it up, turning it over.

"It's probably just a coincidence." I shrugged.

Nico rolled his eyes. "How many 'Siennas' do you know?"

"Well, who would write my name on a medical box?" I crossed my hooves.

Redd shook it, making a loud clanking noise. He banged it against the wall, but it wouldn't open.

"Give me that, before you hurt yourself." Nico snatched it away in his magic. Redd huffed as Nico dug in his bag and pulled out a bobby pin and a small screwdriver. He squinted as he jiggled the two around in the mechanism. With a click, it fell to the ground. Nico smirked, proud of his work. "Jackpot."

I rolled my eyes, taking the box from him. "Thank you, my hero." As I opened it, I heard him snicker. Inside the box was two healing potions, a syringe of Med-x, and a strange, glowing orb. I stared at it. It was pale yellow in color with magic swirling inside of it. "Wow. What is this?"

"It's a memory orb. Only unicorns can view it. Well, unless you have one of those helmets that lets non-unicorns look at them. You should take it." Nico informed me.

I hesitated, but picked it up and put it in my saddlebag. I guess I'd have to find a way to look at it, later. Nico put the other findings in my bag, too. Redd shook his head and strolled outside, stretching his wings. I caught myself staring at him. His physique was so-

"See something you like?" Nico whispered.

I shook my head, blushing. "I-I was just... No."

He trotted off, not saying another word.

Ignoring that little fiasco, I journeyed on. Nico pointed us to the direction of the crash site. I flapped my wings, ascending towards the sky to get a better view. There it was. The huge, black ship sat where it was several days ago. I purposefully kept my eyes off the bodies littering the ground around it. I flew back down, landing next to Nico. My head dropped. He put his hoof on my shoulder. Redd landed on this other side of me and nudged me. I sighed, putting on my best smile for them. The three of us stayed close together as we walked through the havoc. After the first few decaying bodies passed, I hid my face behind Redd's rifles.

"Who could possibly take down a Raptor?" Redd said in awe.

"Raiders. Th-they had a huge spark grenade. The power to the ship fried."  I sniffed, unable to continue.

"It's okay. You can wait here for us, if you want." Nico reassured me.

"No. I... I need to do this." I wiped my face.

He nodded. They kept me between them in case more raiders showed up. We continued through the bodies, getting to the front of the ship. Nico looked up and whistled at the size.

"What do I need to look for?" He asked.

"There may be barding like mine, but fitted for mares." Redd pointed out.

They continued talking, but I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. I spotted the unmistakable outline of two suits of power armor where my friends had perished. There was no doubt it was them. Tearing away from the guys, I galloped to my friends. Tears streamed down my face as I skidded to a stop between them. One was pummeled, severely. I knew that was Chaser. I placed my shaky hoof on his side, resisting the urge to hug the broken form. He was in too bad of shape to move the armor. 

I turned to Wick. She wasn't pummeled, but I knew she would be severely burnt. I broke down sobbing, feeling for the latch in her armor. A voice in my head screamed for me to stop, but it was too late. The helmet flew off, revealing her face. Her partially decayed, scorched face. Her peachy mane no longer had the volume I remembered. Even after death, though, she was still beautiful. 

I screamed, collapsing onto her body. "Wick! Please, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hesitate... I-I'm such a coward..." I hiccuped. "You have to come back to me! W-we're supposed to go to the spa, remember? You can't... You can't leave me..." I sobbed, my mind on the edge of breaking. I curled up beside her. The sweet aroma of her perfume no longer lingered around her. Only the smell of blood and burnt hair.

A hoof touched my shoulder. I looked up to see Nico sadly gazing down at me. I sobbed, burying my face in his chest and covering my eyes. He held me close with a forehoof. "Tell me I'm asleep... Please, just wake me up, Nico." I wept. He held on tighter. I doubted he had the words for this situation. This wasn't a dream, after all.

Redd stepped up, putting his hoof on mine. For a few minutes, I cried on Nico. He finally decided to speak up. "They're in a much better place than here, Sia. That isn't them, remember. It was only their temporary vessel. Their souls are with the princesses, protected."

I looked up at him. What he said had hit home. It brought me such comfort. He smiled down at me. "Come on. Let's go." He nodded to Redd, who looked back and shook his head before following us.

We stopped at the entrance to the ship. "Redd, you and Sia look in the ship. You guys know it better than I do. I'm going to stay out here and keep watch."

I only kept my eyes down as I trudged into the ship. I felt so broken. It made me realize how weak I really was. Wick and Chaser were so much stronger than me. Seeing them lying there made me think about the severity of my conundrum. With each step, my tears fell to the dirt. It just wasn't fair!

Why did I get to live, but not them?

Redd flew up beside me. "Wait up! You shouldn't be alone!"

I rounded on him. "Why? Because I might fall? Poor, defenseless Sia. She can't do anything but cry!" Liquid anger fell from my eyes. I galloped away from him, ignoring his attempts to stop me. Taking to the air, I zoomed up the stairs and into the second floor storage closet of the Raptor. Armor and uniforms were cluttered on the floor. I sifted through the pile and picked up and all-black Captain's uniform. It was lightweight, but had a sturdy layer of protection underneath. There was an energy pistol sitting under the pile of armor, much like the one I had. I threw on the holster and jammed it in place. I just wanted to get out of there.

"Lieuten- I mean, Sia!" Redd called, landing in the doorway.

I didn't bother to look at him. The shame was overbearing.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but you can't let it destroy you. You have to keep going, no matter what."

"I am." I stopped and met his gaze. "I have to protect my new friends and the town. They are innocent and don't deserve to just die." 

"Well, you are not alone. You never will be." He put on a determined look. "We've got your back. Well, mostly me. I don't really trust that unicorn."

I sighed.

He spoke, again, after a few minutes of silent plundering. "Remember that time at the cafe? When Wick made us all dress up and I ripped the sleeve of my blazer?" A chuckle escaped him. "I told you if you'd sew it up, I'd take you to your favorite spot next to the old race track?"

A smile curved on my lips. "I remember. When I finished your blazer, Violet insisted on going with us, so you cancelled our plans."

We started walking back to the stairs. "That's because I wanted just the two of us to go."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know if you knew, but... I was so madly in love with you."

I looked away. "I... I guess I never really thought about us like that. So, all those times you asked me on a date... You were serious?"

He playfully nudged me. "Come on. Your rejections were serious, weren't they? I was so devastated because nopony ever turned me down until you. I was the most popular guy in high school." Redd puffed out his chest.

With a giggle, I shook my head. "You were so full of yourself."

There was a long pause before he glanced my way. "You look stunning."

I blushed. "I... Thank you."

"Maybe one day, you'll honor me with a date?" He wore his best smile.

"I'll think about it. Until then, I just want to get this over with." I shied away.

He nodded, planting a kiss on my cheek. My eyes widened at the sudden peck, but I didn't say anything else. A grin formed on my face.

The rest of the walk to the exit wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Except for the kiss, I was used to Redd flirting and playing around. That is, until I learned he was in love with me. What a crazy world. He was certainly handsome. Sweet, funny, charming. I groaned to myself. I have a town to save, I can't think about my love life, now.

"We should probably get going. I don't want to stick around here for too long." Nico met us at the door, throwing his rifle over his shoulder. He then looked me up and down. "That looks nice on you."

The heat returned to my cheeks. "Thank you."

Redd wrapped his wing around me. "Want to fly with me?" He winked.

"I'm going to stay down here with Nico in case he needs me." I rubbed my chest.

He nodded, then flew ahead.

Nico looked between him and me and back to him. "Seriously? I thought romance wasn't on your agenda?"

We followed after Redd. "It's not! He just... I... nevermind." I facehoofed.

"Sure." He looked forward.

My eyes drilled into him. "You're jealous." I hovered next to his face.

"I do not get jealous. A mare loves who she loves. I cannot and will not change it." I saw a tiny bead of sweat under his horn.

"So, would you go on a date with me?" I batted my lashes at him.

"I-If you asked me, certainly. But, you wouldn't. I doubt I'm your type. Besides, if I was lucky enough- Wait, I am not falling for this."

"So, you're saying-"

BOOM!

An explosion nearby sent me backpedaling, zooming behind Nico for cover. He quickly aimed his rifle, looking through the scope. I could hear gunshots and a scream. Sounded like a mare. My unicorn companion began running (if you call "limping very fast", running) towards the commotion. "Someone's in trouble!" He threw his head back and yelled.

I whistled to Redd, gesturing him to follow us. He and I flew quickly to catch up to Nico. I could hear the latter grunting with each hoof fall. Try as he might, he couldn't ignore the pain. While flying next to his hind leg, I grabbed the Med-X out of my bag and stuck his flank with it. First, he quickly sucked in air, but relief washed over his face, afterwards.

"You're welcome." I mock-saluted.

He rolled his eyes as we continued.

We stopped as we came upon a hill. On the highest point, a familiar stallion hid behind a toppled silo, holding a small pistol in his mouth. Blood trickled from a wound in his bicep. By the way he stayed down behind the huge, rusted container, I guessed he was either out of ammo or his gun wasn't working. The terror on his face got more intense as bullets hit the silo with loud pangs. I finally remembered where I knew him from. It was Tonno Weights. I could have sworn there was a mare, since I had heard the scream, though.

Avoiding the gunshots, Redd and I grounded ourselves and the three of us crouched to go meet Weights in his hiding spot. When he saw us, he quickly gestured for remain unseen. "What are you doing here, Nicky?"

Ignoring the dumb nickname, Nico whispered, "We were passing through. How do you always get in these situations?"

Weights sucked air through his teeth as he flexed his wounded leg. "I came through here to loot the old barn. These cannibalistic shitwads found me before I made it there, though." He peeked over the ledge and was met with a spray of buckshot. The speed at which he ducked was surprising for his size. "Six. There are six of them."

"Who?"

"Raiders."

My heart dropped. It was them. I knew it was. I flattened my ears and peeked, myself. Sure enough, I saw the yellow eyes. Rage filled my chest. I wasn't even scared. The fact that they murdered my friends was enough to blind me from every emotion but anger. Immediately, the stallion who tried to pry my armor off came into view, yelling at a mare. Red filled my vision. Blood. Chaser screamed somewhere in the back of my mind.

I snapped.

"Sia! Come back!"

Redd yelled behind me. I flapped my wings hard, zooming towards the group of monsters at high speed. These bastards were going to pay. I slammed into the nearest raider. He recovered from the blow, quickly getting up. "Bitch!" He screamed. A hammer swung over his head. He held onto it, ready to make contact with my head. I dodged, left. Growling, I flew upwards, then folded my wings, dive-bombing towards him. I threw my hind leg out, aiming for his forehead. Upon impact, I heard a crack. I thought about nothing while the blood sprayed from his nose. He fell, twitching. The kick hurt, but I ignored the pain in my leg.

Two mares came at me with shotguns. The smaller one pulled the trigger. Buckshot tore into my flank as it grazed by. It just pissed me off even more. I snatched my pistol and sent several beams her way, zapping her to ashes, then I barrelled over the other. I held her head in my hooves, headbutting her. She laughed, madly. My lungs started to burn, making me want to cough. I grit my teeth and swore at them. Pain exploded in an unprotected part of my neck as she bit down. I didn't know if she tore it or not. I just hoped their... disease didn't spread like in those zombie stories. My hoof threw itself back, punching her in the muzzle. She spit out a tooth and looked up. It was too late. I was already on her, grasping her windpipe in both of my hooves. Her gasps and gurgles took a while to stop, but I wasn't letting go until she was dead. 

More gunshots echoed through the smoky air. Nico and Redd took out two more of them. A heavy hoof hit my face like a sky carriage. My neck almost broke as it twisted. Spitting blood, I turned. It was the leader. The one who ordered the spark grenade to be thrown. The one who looked me in the eyes as he pummeled me. He grinned, his teeth disgustingly stained. My pupils shrunk to the size of needle points. The scream that came from my throat was so intense, it hurt my own ears. Time stopped.

I beat my wings as hard as I could to knock into the large stallion. He braced for my attack, his hooves sliding when my body contacted his. I used his weight to kick my legs, bouncing off of him like a ball would bounce off a wall. My pistol was out, aiming at him. He held the body of one of his peers in front of him, protecting himself from the beams. Just as he threw the half-disintegrated corpse down, I kicked him in his jaw, forcing him to stumble back, holding his mouth. A mix of blood and saliva dribbled from his lips. He lowered his head, ready to stab me with his horn as I charged, again.

You're going to die.

I flipped onto my back, sliding under him. He didn't even have time to react. With all my might, I slammed my back hoof into his stomach. He howled, clutching his abdomen. I quickly rolled back over, ready to throw more punches. This time, he was ready. A shotgun floated in front of him. The trigger rapidly clicked as the gun unloaded buckshot into my chest. It was going to probably leave a bruise at that range, but the armor kept the weak ammo from piercing my hide. He threw the gun, quickly catching me in his magic. He held me down. My fur stood on end.

Hell no!

I screamed until my throat was raw. I pinned my ears back, snarling as he cackled, maniacally. I kicked him in his groin. He went down, that time, screaming and snapping at me. Spit flew from his mouth. I picked up a rusty knife that one of them had dropped  With both of my front hooves, I plunged it into his chest. He let out a loud shriek. Blood spattered my legs. Since he wasn't dead, I took the butt of my gun and threw it into his horn, cracking it. He flailed his arms, trying to knock me away.

Finally, I bolted into the sky. I hated him. I was so pissed off at him. He ruined my life. These stupid raiders ruined my life. They took my friends. They took my parents. They took my dignity. And without the pearls, they'd take my new friends. Wait, not them. That would be Hope. The wind whistled. It almost seemed to slow me down. I stopped. Looking down, I saw the raider, lying still. He was probably already dead. I honestly, didn't care. My full body weight launched out of the sky like a missile. The ground quickly rushed at me as heat enveloped my forehoof.

I hate myself.

My eyes widened. I suddenly hated myself for this. Of course, it was too late to stop. My hoof impacted his skull. I saw pieces of bone and brain splatter around me. It was the most gory thing I had ever seen. Reality crashed through my mind. The fury melted away. I blinked, looking at my hoof as it seemed to fuse with what was left of the raider. Everything stilled. I couldn't tell if the pounding was from my heart or approaching thunder.

Breathing fast, I slowly picked up my shaking hooves. My white coat wasn't even visible anymore. Even the Pipbuck was covered. My violent tremors made the blood drip into puddles underneath me. I slowly turned my teary eyes to Nico, Redd, and Weights. They stood, unmoving, staring in absolute horror. My wings fell to my sides, limply. Did I do this? Did I... do this? I ran a few yards opposite from them. I just wanted to get away from this war zone. I stopped, keeping my head down. I didn't feel sad. I didn't feel angry, anymore. Happiness. Relief. That's what I should have felt. After all, they killed my friends. They killed Wick and Chaser. The ponies on the Typhoon. They killed them, so I should have been proud of my revenge.

But I felt shame.

I couldn't breathe. Kneeling, my hooves and chest started to go numb. I hit the ground, shivering. I heard hooves pounding and wings flapping as I tried to keep my eyes open. Everything was getting blurry. Tan hooves wrapped around me, propping me up. Nopony said anything. They just stared, horror twisted their faces.

"I..." I tried to speak, but my throat clenched.

"Are you okay?" Nico said, shaking me, gently. 

"Panic... attack." I said, my jaw tightening. 

Redd pulled a healing potion out of my saddle bag. I didn't realize I had dropped it. I felt the cool, glass bottle touch my lips. I coughed and sputtered as it poured down my throat. I slowly, began to feel better. The gunshots in my flank were healing. After a few minutes, I managed to sit up and catch my breath. When my eyes focused, I looked around at the three stallions.

Weights broke the crushing silence, finally. "Holy golden horseshit of the sun goddess."

My face turned red. He could have kept that to himself, at least.

"You single?" He added.

I flattened my ears and looked away. He received some dirty looks from Redd and Nico.

"What? It's not like you two dumbbells are going to make a move." He smirked. "She should have been there when those cloaked ponies were sneakin' around back in Floater."

I perked my ears. "Cloaked ponies?"

He looked at me, strangely. "Yeah. I saw them sneaking around The Beacon a few days ago. Never seen them before. I thought they might have been these raiders."

"Raiders don't sneak into towns. They raid and pillage." Nico said, flatly.

"Well, they still looked off, to me. They had a giant sack with them. I was gonna confront them, but... I-I had to use the bathroom. Yeah, I had to use the bathroom. They better be lucky ole Weights had ate something that didn't sit right with his stomach." He flexed, admiring himself.

I was in that sack.

"Groundwalkers." Redd mumbled under his breath.

Nico rolled his eyes and set his attention back to me. "Better?"

I nodded.

"Anyway, thanks for coming to my rescue, sweetcheeks." Weights wiggled his eyebrows at me. "I could have took them out if not for Nelly, here, jamming." He held up his old pistol.

"Nelly?" I looked at him.

He nodded. "Some folks name their guns. Brings good luck, I hear." He said, proudly.

I glanced down at my pistol. Naming guns? Weird.

"What do you call that weird gun?" He pointed to my pistol.

"Energy pistol." I replied.

He chuckled. "No, I meant what's its name?"

"Uh..." I stared. A name. Name, name name. "Bob."

The group looked at me. I sucked at names.

"Bob? Oohh... so it stands for something, right?" Weights asked.

I turned red, again. "No. Just Bob."

He blinked. "Ah. Well, anyway, I'd better get to Fleece. I gotta get patched up before it gets infected. Gonna make a wicked scar, though." He smiled at the injury on his bicep. "Here's a little something to express my gratitude." He dug around his own bag and pulled out a small pocket knife. "I found this thing a few years ago. It was dull, so I sharpened it, and had it enchanted by an old witch. It will never get dull, again." He dropped it in my hooves.

I studied it, closely. It was folded, so he flipped it to show the blade. It looked brand new. The handle was scratched, but the blade itself was flawless. I shook my head. "I couldn't possibly-"

"Nope. I insist. I have several more at home, anyway." He grinned. "I'll see you guys, later." With that, he headed back towards Floater.

I sighed and clipped the knife next to my pistol inside the harness. I gazed back to the energy pistol. "Bob." I whispered. With a smile, I nodded. "Bob."

I threw my gaze back to the scene behind us. The nightmarish sight took away my smile, instantly. My fighting skills were shit, yet I took down these raiders like I was as powerful as Celestia, herself. "I... I did this." I said, softly, sitting on my haunches.

"Yeah, you did." Nico said, concerned.

"This is some next level shit." Redd hovered next to me.

I winced. "It's like... all I saw was red. I just wanted them... dead." The word was bitter in my mouth. It felt wrong to say it.

Nico put a hoof on my shoulder. "You saved Weights. I think you did a good thing."

"But I didn't do it for him. I just wanted revenge." I hid my face.

"You still saved him." He smiled.

I looked at my hooves. They were still bloody. "I was so mad. That raider... He was the one who led them to attack us and the Typhoon." I moved my eyes to him.

"The guy you beat to a pulp?" Redd asked.

I winced, yet again. "If you want to put it that way... Yes."

"Well, it may be overkill, but he deserved it, nonetheless." He crossed his hooves, clicking his tongue.

"We'd better head out. I don't want to find out if they had friends." Nico stood, limping away.

After I rinsed my hooves in a barrel of rainwater next to the silo, I unfolded my wings and flew next to Nico. My legs were sore from the kicks and punches I was handing out. If any other pony did that, I would have thought it was badass. Coming from me, though? It screamed "no way this is possible". Something happened to me, during that fight. I tried to think of reasonable explanations for my sudden ability to end lives. I concluded that the wasteland was just a place of change. 

While my mind rambled, I noticed we were passing a pretty large field. The pony made rows in the soil seemed to go on for miles. Dead plants lined each row, neatly. Whatever grew there before had not been able to flourish, now. I saw a billboard in the distance. The smile of the yellow mare with orange an orange mane was as faded as the words next to her. "Carrot Top Farms" it proudly stated. A soft ticking suddenly made my perk my ears.

Nico must have saw me trying to find the source of the sound. "It's the radmeter on that Pipbuck." 

I looked at the screen. A needle wavered on the green section of the meter. It was almost to yellow. I would have hated to see what happens if it got to red. I'd probably start sprouting extra limbs.

Redd stopped to look at it. "We're going to get radiation poisoning!"

"Calm down, Redd. The levels aren't high enough to make us sick as long as we keep moving." Nico informed.

A loud gunshot made us stop in our tracks. I saw the dirt in front of us kick up. Nico threw his rifle up, followed by the sound of Redd's energy weapons warming up. I ducked.

The unicorn rolled his eyes. "You just took out those raiders with no mercy and you're scared of one gunshot." He said flatly.

I caught my hoof stroking my chest. "I-It sounds like a big gun."

"What was that?" Redd whispered.

"Whoever carries a gun like that is not your every day raider or thug. We'd better be careful." Nico cautioned.

Just as they started to scan the sky, a shadow flew over us. I could hear Redd's growls. Then, it landed in front of us. The unmistakable figure of one of Equestria's toughest creatures. A griffon. She stood easily twice the height of Redd.  A scar twisted around her sharp beak, following the curve of her neck. I noticed her black feathers puffed out as she stared at us. The fur on her feline back-half was a very dark brown. I slowly brought my gaze down. Her talons were missing a few nails, but the remaining ones definitely made up for them. They looked like they could slice through aluminum like it was paper! She whipped her lion-like tail.

"You'd better back off!" Redd barked.

Nico covered his mouth. "They won't attack if we don't." He hissed to him. He looked back to the griffon and dipped his head. "We're just passing through. We don't want any trouble."

The creature glared at them.

I really do not feel like being bird food.

"You, two." A razor of a talon pointed to me and Redd. "Follow me." 

"We don't take orders from-" Nico shoved his whole hoof in Redd's mouth before he said anything stupid. 

"Why them?" Nico asked.

"This doesn't concern you, chump." She towered over him. He furrowed his brow.

I gently put my hoof on his shoulder. "W-we'll go. Just, please... Let my other friend come with us. Ma'am." I squeaked.

She looked down at me, making me shrink back. Her grin curved the scar even more. "Smart girl." Giant, dark wings unfolded from her back. "Fine. Just keep your pets under control before I tear their throats out and eat them." She flapped once, and took off. The breeze form her wings hit me in the face, softly.

My chest felt so tight, I didn't see how my lungs had room to expand. I absentmindedly kept rubbing it. "C-come on, you two. This is a fight I do not want to be a part of."

We started trotting after her. Redd kicked the dirt like an agitated colt. "I fucking hate griffons."

"Yeah, well I like my body parts to stay inside of my body." The unicorn said, softly.

"Please, shut up. I don't want her to hear you." I hissed at them. 

I knew the Enclave's relationship with griffons weren't a peaceful one, but we weren't in Thunderhead, this wasn't the Enclave, and we were three idiots trying to save a town. Personally, I had nothing against them. They are graceful creatures. I also know they are perfectly capable of ripping my entire being apart without much effort. So, yeah. Griffons are awesome. Nothing against them, here.

We followed her away from the radiated field. An old barn sat on the far side of the field where she landed. It must have been the one Weights thought was unoccupied. The ticking had stopped, so thankfully there was no radiation there. She was greeted by two more griffons, who stood on either side of the barn doors like those lion statues you see in castles. She pointed to us and whispered something to them. They nodded and let her through. Walking past, I attempted a friendly smile to one of them. He glared at me and I was awarded with a terrifying shriek. I yelped and threw myself through the door, running into the back of Nico, who had stopped in the middle of the barn. The big griffon turned to face us, but sat to the side as if waiting for something.

"Welcome!" A voice came from the loft, above. 

I peeked around Nico to see yet another griffon, hopping from the the loft and landing with poise in front of us. This one wasn't nearly as intimidating as the one that retrieved us. Her feathers were white with a few pink tufts atop her head. She had a few black tips on her wings. Her feline half was also white with black stripes. I had never seen a griffon with stripes. She was a lot smaller than the others, as well. 

"Name's Gladys." She said, holding out a talon to Nico. He hesitated, but took it, warily. "Sorry about those three. They don't really know how to treat guests." She said, warmly. Odd.

Wasteland Surprise Count: plus one.

"May I have your names? I'd assume you don't want to be called 'Pony One, Two, and Three'." She said, kindly.

"I'm Nico. That's Redd, and this is..." He sighed at the sight of me peeking through my feathers. "Sienna."

Gladys chuckled. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to that mare who tore through those raiders earlier, would you?"

My eyes went wide. "Y-you saw that?"

"Are you kidding me? I wished I would have had popcorn. That was the best show I've seen in a while!" She gestured with her claws.

"Y-yeah..." I blushed. 

"Anyway, I bet you guys are wondering why Blast brought you here." She clasped her talons together. "When I saw that fight, I saw how fast you could fly. I was hoping you could do me a small favor." She grinned.

"What sort of favor?" Nico asked, curiously.

"It's not much. I just need you to retrieve something that was stolen from me. A pegasus calling herself 'Flashbang' took it from under our beaks while we were off on a job. She wears all black so we don't know who she actually is in order to track her down."

"No offense Gladys, but why Redd and Sienna? Surely, not just because they have wings. I mean, you all have wings, too." Nico spoke up. 

Redd scoffed. "You heard her. She saw our speed and agility."

She shrugged. "Partly true. You guys are fast, I'll give you that. But while we are fast, too, we need ponies. Flashbang won't come near a griffon. Every time we get close, she disappears. We've even tried diplomacy, but she won't listen to us."

I folded my wings. "What did she take from you?"

"She took a weapon from us." 

"It must be a pretty important weapon." Redd crossed his hooves.

Gladys walked over to a crate that had a large roll of paper. She unrolled it, gesturing for us to look at it. "This is not just any weapon. It's a rocket launcher. I'll spare you the details, but this beauty has enough power to take out a small town." I cringed, looking at the prewar drawing. The design was unlike any gun I had ever seen. A long barrel protruded from a special chamber. According to the design, it could fit two rockets at a time and could shoot them simultaneously. The box shaped thing on the side of it contained a motor that would propel the warheads. I stared in awe.

"It could take out a small town, you say?" I asked, still staring at the thing.

"Yep! That's exactly why we need it back" 

My heart dropped. Was she the one Hope was going to use to destroy Floater?

"W-what do you mean?" I glanced at Redd and Nico who were obviously not thinking the same thing as me.

"Our base, Sorry, was stolen from us by some slave drivers. They wanted to use it as a 'pony zoo'." She raged.

"What are you sorry for?" Redd asked.

"What? Oh, our base is called Fort Sorry." Gladys cackled. "I named it just so someone would ask that."

"That's a good reason to have a weapon like that. They should be blown to smithereens." I huffed.

"My thoughts, exactly, but Flashbang seems to think these slavers are 'innocent civilians'. She doesn't know about the slaves." She clicked her nails on the floor. 

"So, what's in it for us?" Redd glared at her, suspiciously.

Gladys scratched her head. "Ten-thousand caps?"

"Th-that's a lot of caps." Nico said.

"I don't plan on being here long enough to use them, so..."

"We'll do it." I cut Redd off. 

"You're serious?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. "Flashbang might be working with Hope or at least know more about her."

"Then it's settled?" Gladys held a talon to me.

I shook it, hiding a wince as they almost pierced my hoof. "It's settled."

The two griffons at the door escorted us out, shutting the barn door behind us.

"So, Flashbang, find Hope, save Floater? My agenda is getting pretty busy." Nico sighed.

"Look, she probably won't be too far away from where we're going." I said.

"How are we supposed to know where to find her?" Redd looked over his rifles. "She could be halfway to the Zebralands, by now."

I sighed. "Just keep your eyes and ears open."





Unidentified Energy Detected

Level Up!
S- 3(+1)
P- 3
E- 3
C- 2
I- 4
A- 3
L- 0

New Perk!
One Hit Wonder - You now give 20% more melee damage, permanently.