//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Pegasus // Story: Fallout Equestria: Jams of Friendship // by Visharo //------------------------------// The Jaded Files: The Beginning “Wake up, we gotta move,” a small kick made my ribs hurt. “Go away, we’re out of jam!” I rolled to my side and went back to my dreams of exploring the world. I used to have wonderful hopes and dreams before the war happened. “Is that why you don’t have many customers? And why are you asleep, aren’t you a ghoul?” There was that voice again, why can’t he leave me alone. Pesky travelers, go to someone else’s shop! “Jaded, I will personally drag you towards some raiders if you don’t get up right now.” Ha, ponies have tried that before. Go ahead, pesky voice, if you dare! “Alright, guess I’ll go find that recipe by myself then,” Lichen grunted in surprise to find me already outside of the rocky out hang, “wait, what…how? You were just there…” I grinned in response and started trotting away without waiting for the stallion. It took a while for Lichen to catch up with me, and when he did he started asking a bunch of questions. “Up bup bup, question night is already past. Time to head out!” *** We were walking out of what used to be a large shopping mall with some new provisions when suddenly I heard a scream. I don’t know what propelled me, but I shot off at speeds Lichen couldn’t run. I vaulted over a piece of debris, blasted through another, and slid under a third. I ignored a confused radgator hiding under a pile of rubbish and charged through some bushes. I took in the scene within seconds and charged one of the slavers. A bright green mare was cowering under three slavers who held battle saddles. I could tell they were slavers because of the shackles and collar one held. The one I crashed into didn’t expect a pony flying out of nowhere so he offered no resistance. I twisted his neck with my magic before tackling a second slaver. That fight was pretty quick, but when I got up from the corpse, the third slaver was prepared and looked at me with bit in muzzle. I glanced at the rifle attached and gulped. I may have acted too rashly. Before he could fire however, the green pony jumped up on top of the slaver. He grunted in surprise, the bit falling out of his mouth. I yelled a cry and fired my revolver three times, two to the chest and the third missing. It didn’t matter, he died pretty quick. “Jaded! Wait for…w-what happened here?” I turned to see Lichen leaning on a bare tree, his chest heaving. “Oh just some slavers. I dealt with them though. They were trying to get this poor mare…who happens to be a pegasus…uhhh,” I stammered after realizing that there were two feathery wings attached to said mare. “Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I don’t know how to repay you!” The mare hugged me, her bright red mane blew into my mouth causing me to splutter. “Urk, y-your welcome. Gah, you c-can let go of me n-now…please…can’t b-breathe!” Lichen pulled the clingy mare off of me who left me heaving for air. A flurry of apologies flew out of the mare while I recovered. I waved it off just in case she started grovelling, that would be awkward. “W-wait, don’t I know you from somewhere?” I blinked, and looked at the pegasus with a new eye. She looked very familiar. “Um…I don’t think so? I’ve never been below the clouds,” the mare gasped in horror, “oh no! My father is going to be so mad! I promised him that I’ll be home for dinner, it must be past midnight! Oh no, oh no, oh no…” I stared at the clouds covering the sky and wondered how she knew. I kept on looking to see any glimpse of the night…or day. “How old are you?” Lichen’s voice brought me back to the pegasus. “S-sixteen, why?” “Aren’t you a bit young for this? Well, maybe you aren’t, I don’t know much about the Enclave,” Lichen shrugged and turned his attention to the slavers. He started pulling the battle saddles off of them and saw if it could fit him. “I do know you! You’re that filly that broke into my shop and stole all of my jam!” My surprised gasp drew the attention of Lichen, who seemed to be having trouble with a rifle. “T-that was real? I thought that was a dream…I dreamt of Rainbow Dash bringing me back to my family…wait, does that mean she’s real too?” the mare’s eyes lit up with joy as she hugged me again, crushing my ribs…again. Lichen chuckled but didn’t help. I whimpered and sunk down in defeat.