//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Raiders 
// Story: Fallout Equestria: Jams of Friendship 
// by Visharo 
//------------------------------//


The Jaded Files: The Beginning


Meatlocker was already out of sight when I realized why I hadn’t picked up the stuff Ditzy dropped before. Raiders. Before I could think about turning back, we were surrounded by raiders. I stared in shock at the seven ponies around me before I started cursing at my bad luck.

“Halt!”
“None may pass without fee!”
“Pay up or else the Chainers will get ya!”

I stared in confusion when the raiders started cackling with malicious glee. What confused me was that I’ve never heard of the Chainers, nor the fee part. Maybe I haven’t paid enough attention to the gossip.

“Chainers? Never heard of you,” my companion said, who wore a similar expression. I blinked,  realizing that they weren’t really part of a big faction, like the Steel Rangers or those weird ponies down at the Elysium Country Club. Then I blinked again, in my excitement to get going I never asked the stallion’s name. I mentally face-hoofed. 

“Oh, buddy, buddy, buddy! You’ve never heard of us because we don’t want to be known!” a brown unicorn grinned at us, he had an axe floating next to him that looked very sharp.

“Or maybe you’re bluffing,” I stepped forward, pulling a revolver from my saddlebag with my own magic.

“What? You’re a unicorn!?” my companion stuttered, looking for my horn, finding nothing. Ugh, I really need a name for him. He has red eyes…Red Eyes? No, that sounds evil. He has a murky coat…Murky? Nah, sounds cowardly. Aha! I’ll call him Earthy, short for Earth Pony. I nodded, proud of my accomplishment.

“Bah, that doesn’t scare us. We are the Chainers!” a blue earth pony pounded the ground with his power hooves. They also looked scary.

Crack

I stared in shock at the blue pony as he fell down with a bullet in his head. After the raiders came out of their shock, another one fell. 

“Come on, are you just going to stand there?” My companion shouted at me through the pistol in his mouth.

I snapped out of stupor and aimed my revolver at the nearest raider and fired. I missed. I quickly launched myself sideways to dodge a raider who came up beside me with a rusty pipe. His pipe hit a rock that sounded with a ting. He growled angrily and whipped his head around to where I was previously standing. He looked around in confusion, trying to see where I went and got his answer soon enough when I cocked the revolver right next to his head.

“Look out!” Earthy’s call came too late and I got hit on the head. I cried out and collapsed over the new corpse. 

Stupid, stupid, be aware of your surroundings, I mentally scolded myself as I heaved upwards. I glanced at my new adversary before diving to my left to dodge another blow. Instead of chasing after me, the raider pulled out a pistol and aimed. I gave them no chance as I ran forwards, startling them. 

Before I crashed into the raider though, I got tackled from the side. Air flew out of my lungs. I groaned and fired into the idiot who crashed into me before unsteadily getting up. Multiple gunshots were heard throughout this fight, but I mostly ignored them with the sole exception of the latest one.

I looked downwards at the new hole in my chest then I glanced upwards at the raider who shot that bullet, “ouch.”

Before I or the raider could do anything, Earthy’s gun fired for the last time, felling the pony who stared at me. Then I collapsed.