Reversal of Fortune

by Lucien Chance


Chapter 3: Put a Spell on You

"Who are you kid? Really?" Benny was sitting in a stool. One of his hands was flat against the bar, the other loosely gripping the half-glass of scotch that he had been sipping at.

"Who am I?" Christopher echoed the question. He had finally managed to track down Benny at The Tops, and the two were talking in the hotel's presidential suite.

"That's what I'm asking, baby," said Benny, sipping again from his glass. Even though his worst fears had come to be realized, he didn't crack. That smooth facade, the polished mask that was Benny, did not break. He never faltered in his speech, his hands did not quiver, his eyes kept the sparkle that they always had.

Christopher was quiet. Contemplating. Before he walked into the hotel, before he woke up in Goodsprings, before he left California for the first time; he might have been able to answer that question. But now it was all so confusing. He had chased Benny across the Wasteland, never relenting, hardly stopping to rest. Before, he might have called it a thirst for revenge. Now, he wasn't sure.

"If you strip away the parts that I'm looking at here, this rugged, tough-as-nails cowboy, what do you get?" He gestured to the various parts of Christopher's leather armor, his eyes lingering for just a moment longer on the loaded magnum strapped to his hip. "What's beneath the exterior? What makes you tick? Why are you here?" His voice had grown quieter as the time progressed.

Christopher was still silent. He didn't have an answer then. He had met friends and enemies of all sorts of types while he was searching for Benny. He had gone on adventures the magnitude of which would have shocked him had he been told back in California. He learned that he was capable of so much more than what The Couriers said he could do. And he didn't know what to make of that.

Benny heaved a sigh and looked to the bottom of his glass. "The things we could have done, what we could have accomplished." He fell silent for a brief moment before continuing. "And here we are, you poised to throw it all away. New Vegas could be great without House holding it back. The man is a relic, unfit for 2281. But you still seem to want to swing with that dusty old cat, huh?" He smiled, the lines never reaching his eyes.

Christopher opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He had spent weeks planning for this moment, but words failed him. For once, he couldn't think of what to say.

"I know how this all ends. I can see it in your eyes. The same way I knew you were different from the rest of the couriers that House sent out. There was something in your eyes. Like I could see the gears turning. Of course it didn't matter at that point, I already knew you were carrying the Chip." Upon mentioning it, he pulled it out of his pocket and gently set it on the bar's counter.

"You want it. You want it back so much. It's because of your job, I guess. Never supposed to lose a package, but this one was stolen. House will understand. He knows you, just like he knows me. Too much." He put two fingers on the warm platinum and slid it over towards Chris. "Take it, and get on with it." He looked in his glass and held up a finger. "Wait just a second. There's a special rung in hell reserved for people who waste good scotch. Seeing as how I may be rapping on the door momentarily..." He downed the rest of his drink in two swift gulps, wincing as it burned a trail down his throat.

Christopher pulled out his gun slowly, with quaking hands and unsteady nerves. Hesitantly, he brought it up to aim the sights on Benny's head. "You were right about one thing, Benny."

His head turned to stare down the barrel of the pistol. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Christopher pulled back the hammer, eliciting a soft click from the gun as it readied to fire a bullet. "House can't rule. Not anymore. He's an outdated king, and you were his last try at an ace-in-the-hole."

"Really? Then what does that make you?"

The question gave him pause once again. But this time, he had an idea of how to answer. An idea of who he truly was.

"The Wild Card."

He squeezed the trigger with much more force than was necessary. A flash lit up the darkness of his eyelids, and a sharp bang echoed in his ears long after the actual sound faded. His breathing was more forced then, heavier, just like his arms felt. The gun clattered to the floor, making contact with the wood underneath, through the padding of the carpet.

Christopher— no, that man was dead, dead like the man that slumped on the stool in front of him. The Courier opened his eyes and looked around the room, seeing them in a sort of different way. Benny's head was turned, the bullet wound not facing him. He laid on the bar table, one might even suspect he was asleep. But The Courier knew he wasn't. Benny was dead by his hand.

He picked up the Platinum Chip with numb fingers. The metal had gone cold, restoring some feeling within his deadened body. He pocketed the device, then he turned and picked up his gun. Lucky is what he would call it. Lucky that everything so far had been smooth compared to what lied ahead.

The Courier fixed his hat upon his head as he walked out of the room.


"I... I..." Ryan stammered, unable to find words.

"Courier? Are you alright?" The concerned face of Celestia leaned in the corner of his vision.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then responded to her question. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

She studied him, her magenta eyes scanning his face. "No, you are not," she finally declared.

Ryan took a quick breath, as if he was about to deny it, but then let it all out in a sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back and fixing anything out of place. He looked up at her. "I just thought I was done with it all, you know? Six-and-a-half years of peace, relatively speaking, in the Mojave, and I thought it was over. But no, things just manage to keep happening to me. I have to keep running, because who knows what will happen when I stop?" His face twisted up into a small, sad smile.

"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate. This world seems like a paradise compared to yours, what could be wrong?"

He held up his Pip-Boy, showing her the screen. "See that nine, right there?" he pointed to the number. "That was a ten when I got here." He slumped back into his chair, looking off into the distance while a hand idly rubbed at his stubbly chin.

"We- I'll do everything in my power to make sure that is righted as soon as possible. But are you sure that you aren't mistaken? And are you sure that you are not... blowing things out of proportion?"

"'Blowing things out of proportion'?" Ryan turned to her and slammed his hands on the table. "Blowing things out of fucking proportion?! My Luck is draining and you think I'm blowing things out of proportion?!" He stood up and knocked his chair over, alerting some of the guards that stood watch in a wide circle around the table. Within moments he had six spears nearly jabbing him from every direction.

He slowly reached a hand up and, using just his index finger, gently pushed away a spearhead that was almost poking him in the nose. "I suggest you remove your weapons from my face," he growled, the corners of his mouth curling down into a malicious scowl.

"Guards, stand down," Celestia said firmly. "He will not harm me." Reluctantly, the guardsponies lowered their spears and backed away to their former positions, looking a bit more wary. Celestia herself was standing as well, having assumed a fighting stance as soon as Ryan became aggressive.

"What makes you think I won't hurt you?" asked Ryan in a dark tone.

"Because you're smarter than that."

"I've fought armies. Six guards and a princess wouldn't be too difficult," he snarled.

"You're not thinking rationally. Calm down a bit, I'm your friend here," Celestia said tactically, avoiding a direct response to his previous statement.

He took a breath and sat back down. Hands flying, he picked up Lucky from the table and holstered it. Then, just as rapidly, he poured himself another cup of tea with a generous amount of sugar cubes. One of his fingers tapped a quick beat on the table. His face quickly transformed to look neutral, then he took a sip from his cup and gingerly picked up a sugar cube, examining it between his fingers.

"You know we don't have straight sugar in the Mojave? Vault 22, mostly dealt with plant life, got overrun and lost most of the crops. Including all the sugarcane. Can't find seeds for the stuff anywhere now, not even at Big Mountain, the most technologically-advanced place in the wastes. I've synthesized it a couple of times, but it just doesn't seem natural. I remember the first time I had sugar. Poked through a half-destroyed farmstead and found a pack of the stuff in a cellar. Best thing I ever tasted." He looked away and popped the sugar cube into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue.

Gone was the attitude, the tone, the darkness. His mood pulled a complete turnaround; his personality had morphed back into the same energetic one that Celestia had met with earlier that day. He looked content, like he was just satisfied to be there. But his eyes, they retained what she saw before. She could see the darkness deep inside of him. She could tell that there was a storm locked away in his mind, waiting to break free like it just had. He was a conundrum, and she wasn't quite sure how to behave around him now.

"Hmm," Celestia hummed, retaining her fighting position, though her horn was no longer glowing.

Ryan's eyes flicked back to her. "What are you doing standing up? Sit, sit. I'm not going to bite or anything." He flashed her a smile, and she could see his canines exposed just beneath his lips.

She did as he said, pulling her chair back up and sitting in it cautiously. She took stock of the table in front of her and began refilling her cup. Her magic stayed strong, but she was shaken, to say the least. A new tension hung between the two, and Celestia wondered how long it would take before it dissipated.

Ryan giggled a bit. "I've always wanted to say that. It just sounds so cliché, saying I won't bite then flashing my sharp teeth. Makes me seem like a proper comic book villain." He drained his cup. "How's that for a topic of conversation? Villains. I trust that this planet's not just all rainbows and sunshine?"

Celestia took a breath to fix her composure, then answered, choosing not to comment on his earlier actions. "It isn't. There has been some recent events that had their fair share of villains."

"Oh?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Do tell, then."

"The most recent was the reappearance of the Crystal Empire and the attack of King Sombra. Before that was the invasion of Changelings on Canterlot. Some time before that was the escape of the Avatar of Chaos, Discord. Then, a good while before that happened, Nightmare Moon broke free of her bonds to attempt to push the world into eternal night. Which one would you like to hear about?"

"Hmm... Discord sounds fun." Ryan set down his tea to listen more intently as Celestia explained Discord's escape, how he turned the Elements against each other, and then was ultimately turned to stone again. She finished off by telling him that he was reformed and currently living at the palace. He didn't speak besides asking a few questions pertaining to the Elements of Harmony. Soon enough, Celestia was finished.

"Am I correct in assuming that these Elements are the main driving force behind this country? And that they, the Elements themselves, were once under your control?" he asked when she became quiet.

"Pardon?" Celestia looked at him with wide eyes. "What would give you that idea?"

"The way you spoke about them. You respect the power that they wield, even more so because you know them personally. But as you talked of their actions and the personalities of each, I could tell that you understand them on a deeper level. Perhaps because you have wielded the power before yourself, but in a terrible way, something that scarred you deeply. Because you are old, Celestia, far, far older than you let on." Ryan leaned back, palms pressed together and resting underneath his chin.

"I..." Celestia blinked, stunned at his statements. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. "Am I that readable?" she asked with a small smile.

"Lucky guess," was Ryan's cooled reply. "But before we continue talking, may I meet these Elements formally? I fear my last encounter with them didn't roll over so well."

"Of course, of course," she said, getting up. "We should return this table to the café first. I'm sure they're missing it." Her horn lit up in a golden shimmer, as did the table.

"Uh, hold on a moment, Celestia," Ryan said, holding up a hand.

The glow on the table dissipated, as did the one on Celestia's horn. Instead of replying, she looked at him questioningly.

"May I try?" he asked. "I realize that this is a new world, and new rules do apply, but I have had luck in the past with trying new things. And I'm sure after what happened earlier, you're just as curious as I am to see another 'show.'"

"By all means, Courier. And you are correct, I do wish to see if you can repeat your earlier actions." Celestia walked over beside him to observe.

"Thank you." And with those words, he closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching within himself to find the flame from before. To his surprise, it came easier than before. He held up his hand and it encased in a green glow. He opened his eyes again to see that the aura had lost some of its hue, taking on a more faded aspect than before. Shrugging, he focused his energy on the table in front of him.

His mind strained as he pulled. The various plates and silverware on the table began to shake and rattle, causing a bit of a racket that attracted the attention of the guards around him. He closed his hand and tried to will the table to move up. Nothing happened, besides the table ceasing in its movement.

Celestia and the guards released a pent-up breath that they didn't realize they were holding. A frown eased its way onto Ryan's face as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and strained harder.

"Courier, it doesn't appear to be working, perhaps you should just let me-"

She was interrupted by the lid of the teapot suddenly blowing upward and spraying tea into the sky. Those gathered there simply stood in shock as the lukewarm liquid cascaded down around them like a summer rain. There was a brief, tense moment of silence, then Ryan erupted.

"Yeah-ha! I knew I could get something to work!" He jumped in the air and punched a fist up, only to be stopped short by the look on the face of a damp Celestia.

They stood stock still, Celestia's face somewhere between an annoyed glare and a neutral stare. Then, slowly, the corners turned upward into a small smile. She rolled her eyes and lit up her horn. In a bright flash, the present company was dried of all tea that may have fallen on them. "Better than my first attempt," she said, eliciting a chuckle from Ryan.

"This way, right?" he asked pointing towards the center of town.

Celestia nodded, studying his face in the brief moment before he turned around. She picked up the table and chairs and returned them to the café she had borrowed them from. She absently thanked the manager and waved off his assurances that the table would always be ready for her use in the future.

Her mind was on the human. The Courier, as he called himself. She couldn't get a reading on him, or his personality. She wondered how he was able to keep up that mask he always wore, keep the chains tight on the storm raging inside of his mind. He was brilliant, that much was clear to her, perhaps more brilliant than Starswirl or Twilight. No, she was sure of it, his mind was greater than the two of them. He wasn't proficient just in intelligence pertaining to knowledge, but he was able to make stunning assessments at a rate that would frighten Sherclop Holmes himself.

But it was the facadé that fascinated her. It was evident that he worked extremely hard to keep up that side of his personality. He worked so hard that it made her wonder what exactly caused the storm to begin raging underneath.


Ryan's head bobbed happily along with a song that only he could hear. His eyes were wide with wonder from seeing the buildings of all shapes and colors. There were only a few ponies left wandering around the town. Some gave him odd looks, but their eyes didn't linger when they noticed Celestia and the regiment of guards that surrounded him. More than once, Ryan was able to make out clipped whispers from ponies milling around the group, but he didn't let it bother him.

Soon enough, they arrived a massive crystal tree, the Friendship Castle, according to the sign in front of the impossible structure. Ryan could only gawk at the impossible feat before him. He shot a questioning look to Celestia, who only grinned mischievously and said only, "Magic."

Ryan walked up to open the door, but stopped when he heard familiar voices inside. His eyes flicked to his Pip-Boy's compass and took note of the multiple white bars in front of him. Deciding it wasn't the best idea for him to enter first, he took a step backward, luckily just missing the hooves of one of the guards behind him. Celestia took his previous place and knocked a gold-clad hoof on the rather large door, hushing the voices behind the entrance.

The door cracked open, revealing part of a hallway, but Ryan couldn't see anybody there. "Ah, Spike. Is Twilight there? I'd like to introduce her to our guest," Celestia said to the seemingly empty space.

Ryan was confused. He checked his Pip-Boy to see if something was actually there. "Sure, Princess. She's in the main room with the rest of the girls." The door opened all the way to reveal a hallway leading to a very large library, with books filling up every wall.

Then Celestia started to move inside and Ryan saw who, or what, had answered the door. It looked like a purple gecko with green scales on its underbelly and spikes of the same color sticking out the top of his head. Upon noticing Ryan, his eyes shrunk quickly and his knees began shaking. Ryan, for his part, simply tilted his head sideways in confusion.

Ryan got over it quickly and lowered himself so his knees were completely bent and he balanced on the balls of his feet. Ignoring the three guards that were glaring at his back, he removed his sunglasses and looked at the creature in front of him. "And just what are you? Bipedal, sentient, but with claws for hands and scales for skin. You're not a gecko, that's for sure, but you're definitely related. Celestia did mention something about..." He snapped his fingers. "Dragons. You're a dragon, right?"

Spike nodded, terrified.

"Baby dragon, at that. If the myths where I'm from are correct, you're gonna grow up to be twenty times that size, and significantly less adorable. A big, fearsome, fire-breathing dragon." Ryan spoke with a soft voice. He was intuitive like that, possessing a gift when it came to speaking. Tuning in to the hopes of the child in front of him wasn't too difficult for him.

Spike's eyes gleamed as he listened to Ryan's words. He momentarily forgot about who he was talking to and puffed up his chest while striking a gallant pose. "I'll be the best dragon! The most fierce and fiery dragon ponykind has ever seen!" Having calmed down, he took another look at Ryan. "Who are you? What are you?" he asked in awe as he took in the man's clothing.

"The name's Smith." He stuck out a hand for a shake. "Betcha haven't gotten one of these in a while?" He grinned, wiggling his fingers. Spike grasped the hand with a significantly smaller claw and gave it a little shake. "As for what I am, I'm called a human. From the planet 'Earth,' about 2,000 light-years," he jerked a thumb behind his head, "that way. What's your name?"

His eyes grew large with awe. "My name's Spike. That's really far away, too. Twilight's been teaching me a little bit about space. What's it like out there?" he asked.

Ryan thought about it for a moment before answering. "It's very dark. You can barely see the light of billions of stars far off in the distance, and you can't hear anything either; no sound. There's also no air, so no breathing as well. Space is, well, fascinating, even though I've never been there myself."

Spike's head tilted. "Then how did you get here?" he asked.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, little man." And with that, he stood up, much to the relief of the guards behind him, ruffled the surprisingly flexible spines on Spike's head, and walked into the library.

"...completely harmless, so I don't want any of you thinking that he'll hurt you. What happened earlier was just a misunderstanding." Celestia was speaking to the ponies gathered in the library. The six gathered made an odd bunch, each one a different primary color, with their mane a different but similar shade of that color. "This, my little ponies, is The Courier," she said when she noticed him walk in, Spike directly behind him.

Suspicious stares were all he received. He took in the scene before him; each pony was gathered in the main room of the library, or at least what he assumed to be the main room. One of them, a pegasus, was keeping herself aloft above the rest. His mind raced, taking in each of them and the looks plastered on their face. He could practically feel the varied emotions dripping off of them. They were curious above all else, their eyes widened to be extremely large. But he could sense the distrust screaming from the narrowed brows of a few, showing that he wasn't completely safe. A mixture of awe and fear lingered in the backs of their eyes, just enough to be noticeable. If these were the "almighty" Elements of Harmony, then he would require more to be impressed.

"As Celestia said, I am The Courier. Hello." He waved a hand in a semi-circle casually, but said nothing more. Letting them carry the conversation would be the best course of action.

When the ponies realized he wasn't going to say anything else, they shot questioning glances to each other, full of suspicion. "What's your real name?" asked the lavender one as she stepped forward boldly.

This one's brave, Ryan noted quickly before responding. "What's your real name?" he asked back with the corners of his mouth upturned.

"What? But that's what I asked you!" she spluttered before regaining ground from her momentary slip. "I- I asked you first," she said as boldly as her step forward.

"Yes, yes you did, but I'm exercising my right to withhold my answer for the time being."

Twilight cocked her head to the side, clearly confused. "Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?"

"He said his name was Smith," Spike piped up from the side of the room.

Ryan turned his head and smiled at the baby dragon. "I did say that. Doesn't mean it's true, but if you're fixated on calling me by a name, then there it is."

"Why won't you give us your actual name?"

The question gave him pause. Why not indeed? He thought about it for a moment before answering. "Because to have a name is to know somebody. To know somebody means you have gained an understanding for who they are. None of you have the slightest idea who I am, including Celestia over here, who has just spent the better part of three hours talking with me." He looked over at the Princess, who was having a difficult time keeping a straight face. "Sorry," he added on.

She just shook her head. "It's alright. It's true though, I haven't the slightest clue who you are." She made the snap decision to not let on that she had already formed several conclusions about the unstable man.

"Anyhow, when, or if, you develop an understanding of who I am, not just what I am, then you shall receive my name," he said, knowing full well that that day will never come. He carefully judged the varying degrees of contempt on each of their faces, taking note of the especially severe look on the pegasus in the air. "If you think my actions are bold, keep in mind that we've only just met, and where I'm from we don't typically trust people until we've known them for years." He spoke that part almost directly to the hovering one, and he was satisfied to see her angry glare shatter into a million pieces.

"What do you mean? How can you be friends if you don't trust them until years?" asked the other pegasus in the room, quite quietly.

"Well, 'years' was a bit of an exaggeration. It's more like a few months if there's no fighting involved, otherwise a few weeks. But then it's an alliance at best. A partnership if you're lucky, which I am." His voice drifted off at the last sentence as his mind drifted off to thoughts of Boone and their first meeting.

"Fighting?" A voice interrupted his dive into the past. He looked at the pony who had spoken, the white unicorn.

"Yes, fighting. My world isn't exactly like yours," he answered, but didn't volunteer forward any more information.

A thick silence pervaded the room. The two parties each formulated their thoughts, accumulated their questions, and summarized their observations. Ryan could see the gears turning in their minds as they each formed their own opinions of him. It was like a great chess game. He would make his moves, put forth his pieces, then sit back and watch as the other side thought about what to do next.

"But come on! You're all too serious! I'm an alien, a real life alien standing right in front of you! And I know some of you are just burning up on the inside with questions! Let's hear 'em!"

The ponies and dragon jumped at his sudden, loud outburst. Their ears splayed back and their hooves danced nervously.

"Well don't just stand there, I'm not going to attack you or anything," he said, pulling up a chair from the side of the room. "Go on, ask a few questions, test my knowledge." He held his arms open and watched as they began voicing their questions.

"What planet are you from?"

"Earth, next."

"What species are you?"

"Human, next."

"When did'ja get here?"

"About a day ago, next."

"Can I try on your aviators?"

"Sure, next- wait, what?"

The rainbow one nodded her head in earnest.

"Oh, fine."

She zoomed over and picked them up from his outstretched hand before trying them on to see that they didn't fit her face. They slipped off her muzzle and fell to the floor. Reacting quickly, Ryan's foot shot out and caught the shades before the lens broke on the floor. "Hey now, I've had those for years now, don't go breaking them," he said teasingly.

"Where did you get those reflexes?" asked the white unicorn as Ryan brought his foot up to his hand to pick up the glasses.

"Experience and luck, next." But before they could ask another one of their twenty-questions, he held up a hand. "Ooh, wait, hold on just one second. Can I have your names? It's getting a little tiring to think of each of you as 'rainbow pegasus' or 'orange pony.'"

"Ah'm tangerine, thank you," came the quick reply of said orange pony.

"Alright, Tangerine, nice to meet you." Ryan started to move on to the next pony but was stopped by her.

"Mah name's not Tangerine, it's Applejack," she said through gritted teeth.

"Whoops, my bad. Applejack, got it," Ryan said before moving pointing at the next pony in line.

"As I said before, Twilight Sparkle. But please just call me Twilight."

"Rainbow Dash. Just call me awesome and we'll be good, kay?"

Ryan chuckled but kept moving.

"Rarity, darling."

"I'm Pinkie Pie, and this is Fluttershy!"

"Great! Excellent to meet you all! Now, moving on!" He clapped his hands together sharply. "Any more questions?"

"Where's all your fur?"

"Humans don't have fur, next."

"What is that horrible thing you're wearing?"

"Horrible? Ma'am, this is my 'uniform,'" he made air quotes with the word. "It's the epitome of multi-use clothing where I'm from. Only 21 like it in the whole world. Probably less now..." he mumbled the last bit, but Celestia managed to hear it.

"If only I could design your uniform! It wouldn't be so terribly garish! Just look at the torn sleeves, the hole-filled shirt, the faded pants! And where's the hat! You simply must have a hat!" Rarity cried.

"Those are just natural from wear and tear. As for the hat, I did have one, but I lost it on the way over here."

"Speaking of that," interrupted Twilight, "How did you get here? And how were you using magic like that earlier today?"

"Long story short, I ended up fighting the goddess Atë because she was pissed at me for being too lucky, then I escaped through what I guess was a portal to land here. Well, more specifically, somewhere near the summit of the mountains over... that way," he looked around the room quickly and pointed out a window as he spoke the words.

"The Foal Mountains?" supplied Twilight.

"Foal Mountains? Oh, heh. Horse puns." He chuckled, prompting some strange looks from those gathered, aside from Celestia. "But yes, I landed there yesterday and then walked here."

"But that doesn't answer my other question. How could you use magic like that? I've never seen anything besides a unicorn use magic."

"Oh, that? I learned it when I saw you doing it," he said. Of course, that was a vastly simplified version of it; but, judging by the looks on their faces, that was quite an impressive accomplishment.

"What do you mean, you just learned it? That's not even possible! A creature appearing on Equestria and learning how to use magic in just one day! That's so impossible I can't even—"

"Twilight, calm down," interrupted the voice of Celestia. "Allow him to explain before you jump to conclusions like that. Or, better yet, ask him how he did it."

Twilight's head dropped low. "Sorry, Princess."

"And don't call me Princess anymore. It's just Celestia now, Princess Twilight," Celestia responded with a small smile.

Twilight's head snapped back up, a sheepish grin present on her face. "Sorry. Old habits die hard, right?" She turned her attention back to Ryan. "So, as I was saying, how did you just do magic like that?"

Ryan, having been given time to consider his response, answered right away. "I'm not sure if you remember, but I did ramble about it a bit when you caught me. I just analyzed the field that you picked me up in, and I drew a few conclusions. It wasn't anything like I had seen on my world before, so I compared it to what I know about this world. After that I just came to the conclusion that the planet had an ambient energy field, so I pulled at it, in the way that seemed right to me. And you know what happened next. But magic, huh? That's an interesting name for it," he mused.

"So you don't have magic where you come from?" Rarity cut in.

"No, not unless you count the gamma radiation." He laughed, but Twilight seemed to seriously consider it for a moment. After a few seconds her face returned to normal as she dismissed the thought.

"But it still doesn't add up. It usually takes weeks or months, sometimes years, for unicorns to grasp a bit of their magic. How was it that you got it in a matter of minutes?"

"Lucky, I guess." He shot a smile to the ponies, who looked at him a bit uneasily. The information that he figured out magic so quickly upset them, he guessed. According to Twilight, what he did wasn't natural, even on their world. He was well on his way to making friends with them, but he would have to cut back on making quick analyses if he didn't want to freak them out too much. Besides, the less they knew about him, the better.

"Smith, what is that stylish item on your side? I love the design on it," said Rarity, changing the subject during the lull of silence in the room.

"This," he unholstered his pistol, "is Lucky. We've been through a lot together," Ryan answered, looking down at the weapon.

"That's nice, but I think she meant 'what is it?'" Rainbow cut in.

"Hmm?" Ryan looked back up. "It's a .357 caliber magnum with a heavy duty revolving cylinder and long barrel. Like I said, we've seen a lot of action." The response had a practiced air to it, as if he had rehearsed it in front of a mirror in the past. His fingers brushed over the club lovingly as he returned it back to his hip.

Applejack looked out the window at the sun, just beginning to set. "How long do ya plan on stayin' around these parts? Have ya got someplace to sleep?"

"Well, I never planned on coming here in the first place, so I'd like to leave as soon as I find a way out of here." He took a look at the looks of slight indignation from each of them before adding, "not that it's because of you or anything, it's just that I don't belong here. It's not my place. As for a place to sleep, I'll just set up camp outside town like I did last night."

"Ya'll could stay at my place if ya want. We have room to spare," Applejack offered.

"Actually, I think it would be the best if Smith returned to the castle with me," Celestia said. Upon receiving the looks of all present she continued. "He is the first of his kind to establish contact with Equestria, and Equis for that matter, and so he will be treated like a diplomat, because he is one." She turned to look at him. "How does a room at the castle sound?" she asked.

"That sounds very nice, thank you." Ryan smiled.

"Besides, Luna will want to meet with you. She's always had a thing for other species..." she trailed off suggestively, prompting Ryan's cheeks to tinge slightly pink while most of the ponies turned red as tomatoes. Spike looked around confusedly, Rainbow Dash crashed to the ground in laughter, and Pinkie giggled alongside her.

"Shall we go?" Celestia unfurled a wing, signaling a guard to open the door to the library.

"Yes, right, right," Ryan said to her before turning to the six ponies and dragon. "It's been nice meeting you all, Elements. Hopefully I'll be able to drop by sometime and say hello again. I guess it all depends. Anyway," he straightened out his jacket and put his sunglasses in an inside pocket by his chest, "I'll see you later." He put two fingers to his head in a little salute as he turned and walked out of the library.


"So why did you choose Smith? I trust that there is some sort of deeper reason for it," asked Celestia. The two were in her famous golden chariot, soaring through the night sky. Ryan had doubted the safety of such aircraft, but Celestia managed to convince him that nothing bad would happen.

"I once met a man with a wooden leg named Smith..." Ryan trailed off. He was staring off into the distance, towards the lights of Manehattan.

"Really? What was the name of his other leg?" The words were out of her mouth before she could even consider giving them utterance. Something about him just seemed so disarming. Even though she believed she overstepped a line, she had a difficult time suppressing light giggles.

"...I'm pretty sure raiders ate him." Ryan continued in a frown, before Celestia had a chance to speak again.

Celestia froze, mortified. "I'm- I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"

"-but he was a nice guy, so I figured I'd borrow his name while I'm here," Ryan finally finished his statement with a neutral face.

Minutes passed in silence as Celestia gathered her thoughts. "So you definitely will not tell us your name?" she asked.

Ryan considered his answer for a moment before voicing it. "Depends. Some life-changing event may occur while I'm at Canterlot; something completely unprecedented that will shake the very foundations of your country, cause me to have multiple emotional epiphanies, and ultimately lead us to understand in each other in a way that neither of us would have ever foreseen. Or, alternatively, we'll find a way to send me back home right away and nothing eventful will happen at all. Who knows?" he shrugged.

Celestia couldn't think of a way to respond, so she kept silent. Minutes passed, and Ryan's face began to brighten from the lights of Canterlot.

"You have a beautiful capital. It's really quite impressive. Reminds me of New Vegas," Ryan noted.

"Thank you," Celestia responded. "I don't recall ever telling you that it was the capital though, how did you know?"

"Apparent population size, urban setting, strategic location. Well, those and the fact that you live in a massive castle there. That was kind of a dead giveaway," Ryan replied without missing a beat.

"I should have expected such an answer."

There was a lull in the conversation. "Smith?" Celestia started.

"Yes?"

"If I'm correct, your... lands are a bit rough. Where did you learn to speak so eloquently?"

"Actually, this isn't how I usually speak," he began to explain. "I learned early on in my journeys that speaking is an incredibly important skill to have. Knowing what to say, and how to say it, in given situations can save you from death. So I picked up a lot from reading, and then more from observing the people around me. Eventually, I went to a hotel and casino on the Strip called the Ultra-Luxe. Nice group of fancy people, once you get past the cannibalism." he took a look at Celestia's face and steered away from that topic of conversation.

"But I digress. I dressed up in my fanciest suit and went there to chat. I spent a good few days hovering around the place, picking up on how subtly the bartenders and waiters influence their conversations with the customers. From there I just got good at doing it by speaking with traders and the like." He stopped for a moment and drew in a breath.

"As for knowing how to speak, just call it intuition. It's not too difficult to determine whether a given person, or pony in this case, would appreciate a tone of voice like this," he gestured for emphasis, "Or somthin' more like this," he drawled in a completely different, gruffer voice. "I took you for the former," he added.

"So then how do you usually speak?" Celestia asked. "You said just a minute ago that you don't usually speak like this."

"I usually talk something like this," he started in a casual tone. "Something friendly and calming, with a few grammar mistakes to make sure I don't sound too huffy-puffy." He cleared his throat. "Most of the people in the Mojave are a bit rugged, and they don't like it when someone sounds smarter than they do."

Silence reigned between the two again. The only noise was the gently rushing of the wind as they flew through the twilight sky. Celestia still had one question on her mind though, something that had been bugging her when she heard him talking in the library.

"I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries by asking this," she began carefully, "but you said that there was only 21 jackets like the one you're wearing. Do you belong to some sort of order?"

Ryan turned to face her. "That's very observant of you, Celestia. To answer your question, I used to belong to an order." He stopped there, unsure of how to proceed.

"Would you tell me a little about it?" asked Celestia quietly.

He considered it for a moment, hand to a chin in thought. "Yes," he said finally, if a bit reluctantly. "Out in the Wasteland, as I said earlier today, couriers make or break towns. We're the supply line, the forerunners of the new nation. The roads we carve into the ground last for generations. But, about 120 or so years ago, a small group of men decided that simply carrying packages wasn't enough.

"From there, The Couriers were born. We were a package-delivering organization on the surface, but there was so much more to us than that. Each of us, the elite 21, were trained in specific areas that we tested into before joining up. Our job was not just to deliver stuff, but also to act as a militia, able to defend settlements in a pinch, should the need arise. I was number 21 when I joined up, and I tested into Tactical Assessment. My job was to plan and coordinate trading routes, as well as organize attacks on raider camps. Of course, I also did run packages, but not very often.

"It was a bit lonely, sometimes. Just walking the lonesome road. Since there were so few of us, we had to disperse ourselves carefully so we could keep law across as much of the Wasteland as we could. It was an impossible task, but we performed well." Ryan chuckled.

"It sounds like you enjoyed your time with them, what happened?" Celestia asked.

Ryan's eyes narrowed at her, though she couldn't see it in the dark. But she was, however, able to pick up the sudden acidic tone of his voice. "What happened was The Divide, a package delivery gone wrong. Now it's just a massive scar, both on the land and in my mind."

When it was clear he wouldn't continue, Celestia spoke again. "I'm sorry I asked," she said simply, hoping he wouldn't go off on another tangent.

"It's alright. You wouldn't have known. You couldn't have known." His voice had grown quiet, to the point where Celestia had to lean in to hear him. "But, as I said, it's nothing but a scar now. I've come to terms with my past, and it doesn't affect me anymore."

But he was lying. He was lying through clenched teeth, and he hoped that Celestia didn't see it. He knew, deep down, that the past would just keep bubbling up, the same way it did earlier that day. But he was justified in his response. His Luck was all that he cared about, the only thing that kept him alive through disaster after disaster. He meant every word that he said to her, it just came out loud and angry. He was fine, wasn't he?

The two were quiet for the rest of the ride.


"Here is where you will be staying. The room contains an extra large bed, designed for visiting minotaurs, so it should be quite big enough for you. There is an adjoining bathroom with a tub and shower, and, because you don't seem to be carrying any with you, the basic necessities; toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, et cetera." Celestia opened the door to the room with a golden glow, and the lights flicked on upon their entry.

Ryan looked around with wide eyes and a massive smile on his face. "It's beautiful. The facilities at the Lucky 38 aren't even close to this, and that's top-of-the-line back home." He turned to her. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you'd let me stay here."

"Think nothing of it. As I said, you are a diplomat representing your planet, and diplomats are given very special treatment." She smiled kindly and turned to walk out. But, before she passed over the threshold, she turned her neck around to say one last thing. "Oh, and Smith? Discord will probably be over to say hello. He'll probably take a great interest in you."

Ryan was busy admiring the towels on the racks in the bathroom, going so far as to rub his face up against one. "Hmm? Oh, right, right. Good night!" he called to her distractedly.

He heard the door shut and sighed. It really is nice here. Really, really nice. I almost wish I could stay longer, but I've got to make a plan to get back at Atë. I remember her saying something about-

"Well what do we have here?" said a voice from above him.

Ryan had his gun out and a bullet in the ceiling before Discord could even blink. Lucky for him, Ryan had angled his hand so the projectile whizzed directly between the draconequus' mismatched horns.

"Geez, Jumpy, I didn't mean to scare you. Almost took off an antler with that shot." Discord said while rubbing the aforementioned antler. His head had been sticking through the ceiling, upside down.

"Discord," was all Ryan said as he holstered Lucky. He checked his Pip-Boy's compass and was slightly surprised to see that the draconequus' marker was shaped like its head, not the familiar tick mark like he was used to. He dismissed it, remembering what Celestia had told him about the "Lord of Chaos."

"And just who are you? Not from Equestria I'm certain; not from this planet either! That's impressive!" Discord clapped his paws together in mock applause.

"Smith. Anything else? Because I'd really like to get to sleep," Ryan said while walking away, irritated slightly.

"Smith? No that's not right. I'd have you pegged for a Christopher."

Ryan froze. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind at once, but he forced them to calm down, just as he did by taking a deep breath. "No, that's not my name, it's Ryan," he said as casually as he could manage, which wasn't very well.

Discord smiled, knowing he struck a nerve. "Ryan? Strange name."

Ryan turned around stiffly, giving Discord a glare that would have caused the most bloodthirsty of raiders to melt into a puddle. "I don't care to know why you're here, but stop. Just don't continue," he said with poorly contained anger.

"Alright Smith, whatever you want. But I must say, you are fascinating! I've never seen anything like you, and I've seen a lot, let me tell you."

"I'm a human. Homo sapien. There you go, leave me alone," Ryan said frigidly.

"That's not what I meant. You're obviously human, but what about what's inside your head?" he coiled around Ryan and tapped at his head a few times. "I can practically feel the chaos swirling around in there. I'm surprised you're still alive, actually."

"What do you mean?" Ryan said with gritted teeth. "You know what? I don't care. Just leave my room before I call Celestia."

"Alright spoilsport, I'll go. But before I leave, hear this." Once he was sure he had Ryan's attention, he began.

"There's more than one face that does the thinking - two to the skull, one gets up, one rests behind. Odds are always against you... but they've always just been numbers. You've been playing the hand you've been dealt, but you've never let it rest; you shuffle and stack, double down and never stay. You're the Man of Two Faces, within, without, but never between or betwixt. Followed by fate and marked by the clover, the lonely road is your doom, as true rest shall never reach you while you walk away from it, forever alone."

A noise like a bell rang in Ryan's ears, and he staggered backward. It sounded just like his Forecast, but different this time. The words resounded within him, echoing deep in his bones. He staggered backward and put a hand on the nightstand behind him.

"Good night, Courier," Discord said with a devious smile.