//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: We've Come To A Decision // Story: Fallout Equestria: Viva Las Pegasus -- Tales of New Pegasus // by hailetheking //------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Viva Las Pegasus -- Tails of New Pegasus Chapter Six: We've Come to a Decision ----- I sat there silently, watching Amber Seer furiously jotted down notes after my story. She was writing so fast that I'm sure that she could've burnt through that paper she was writing on if she wasn't careful. After she stopped, she spat out her pencil and looked up towards me. "Thank you for that, Mr. Boulder. We're done." "Is that good, or bad?" "Please leave now. I said we're done." The yellow mare stared at me sternly, clearly getting annoyed with my pestering. "Oookay then..." I'd like to take that as a oh, we have all we need to get you in, so you can go now instead of a okay, I've heard enough, get the fuck out, it's obvious you have no place here. Well, that certainly took forever, I thought as I trot out of the room, happily as ever, quickly leaving the dull gray corridors of the police station for the bright and bustling streets of the Strip. The day looked ripe for the taking. And by "taking," I really mean "chance to wait till night, go to some random bar with my fellow guards, and get hammered as hell." I hear the door swing open behind me, only to see my young friend followed by another pony. "Thank you for the interview, sir," the orange one politely thanked the sky-blue pony which I assumed was his interviewer. All of a sudden, the other pony wrapped his hooves around Sundown... was he... crying? "You're a trooper," I heard him whisper, "You've shown me true love exists." Sundown simply smiled, and said, "I told you, I'm happy with my life, as it is. Thanks for the kind words though, sir. Good night." He then approached me and greeted softly "Hey, how did your interview go?" "I don't really know. Either really good, or really bad," I told him, "I really couldn't tell. That bitch really wants to keep me in the dark." "Oh, well, I'm sure it'll work out. I think mine went fine..." "No shit, what did you do to the guy?" "He asked me about her." "Oh." I smirked. I'll admit, that story moved someone as cold and sadistic as me, so I'm not surprised that it would have that kind of effect on normal ponies. Just one of the things that prove that the kid's one of a kind. "Anyway," I continued, "no use sobbing over it now... What do you want to do now?" "I feel like getting a good rest." Sundown stifled a yawn, then he turned towards his home. "Goodbye, old man." Come to think of it, I needed a rest too, considering I didn't sleep last night. "Alright kiddo, see ya around." I left towards the opposite direction, since Sundown's place is in the Strip, separate from mine. On the way back, I could thing of nothing but a warm bed and a soft pillow. Little did I know that that night had other plans for me. ----- Amber Seer had spent a long day interviewing different individuals for this program. She'll admit, she didn't like her job. The idea of spending a day interviewing 'skilled ponies fit for this job,' which is actually another way of saying 'psychopathic grunts who are better at being psychopaths than any other hoodlum out there.' If Brass Badge really thought he could put these ponies in one group and pass them off as an elite fighting force, he's got another thing coming. Then again, she's never seen a fight, so she assumed Badge knows a bit more than her. "Oof!" Apparently, she wasn't looking where she was going, because she ended up bumping into her colleague, a sky-blue pony with a brown mane and thick glasses, causing her to drop the pile of papers she was holding onto. "Owww," he grumbled. "Oh, uh- sorry Miss Amber." "Oh, it's no problem, it was my fault." She started to pick up her documents from the floor alongside her co-worker. "So, did you just finish the the latest candidate as well?" "Yeah, I think we're ready to start working on the report." "Good thing they came in really early," the mare spoke, "We can bring in Brass for the report by tonight." "Right. Wait... do you really think this is a good idea?" the stallion asked Amber. "What?" "The Agency thing. It sounds so... you know... dangerous giving a bunch of thugs that kind of freedom." Amber sighed, "Yes, I know. But Brass thinks it's a good idea. And besides, we pay them good, so it'd give them incentive not to fuck us over." "And if they do?" She saw the fear in her colleague's eyes. He's read their files and interviewed them as well, so he knows how unstable and dangerous they can be. "Then we'll send other T.A.I.L teams after them. The problem takes care of itself, see? And besides, they wouldn't do something like that for no reason. I mean, come on, they can't be that bad." ---- Sundown looked at the time. 9:00 pm. He yawned, then he realized, 'wow, I should really go to bed.' He closed his book and took two steps and plopped himself on his bed. Today was an important day for him, moving up in the world, getting some fancy job. He looked around his very small apartment. Oh, the things he could get with a pay rise. A bigger apartment, a light that doesn't constantly flicker, more books, oh, maybe even those fancy, expensive pre-war books! Sundown smiled at the thought of better things. He wasn't an extravagant pony, but it wouldn't hurt to be more comfortable. And besides, a pony had the right to dream. He started dozing off to sleep peacefully, only surrounded by the calming silence of his apartment. This had been a long day, and the world owed him some rest. SLAM! Sundown cringed and the sound of his door flying open. Opening one eye, he saw the silhouette of a bulky pony standing by his doorway. "What is it?" he lazily grumbled to the shadowy figure. "Get up! Shit's going down!" Sundown opened his mouth to object, but before he could say anything, he felt himself being magically dragged out of his bed. The world's such an unfair mistress, he thought. ----- Brass Badge walked into the briefing room where his two counselors were fixing up their presentation. "What have you got for me?" He was eager to get this task force formed. It's about time the people of New Pegasus took the offensive on crime. Just because the city was under new leadership, it doesn't mean that crime rates have gone down in New Pegasus. In fact, now that New Pegasus was a thriving community, there are even more threats than before, both internal and external. "Well, we got the files of every candidate, and given each's history and psychological health, we've come up with an extensive presentation," the mare reported. "Well, let's get this started then," Brass commanded as he took a seat, intently watching the screen in front of him flickering to life. ----- I knew we had to hurry. If we didn't, then things would go bad, fast. "Where are we going again?" Sundown whined, barely stifling a yawn. "Was it important enough to get me out of bed?" Oh, it was. It truly was. You see, about thirty minutes ago, I was out and about, and like Sundown, I was having a nice, quiet, relaxing night... ----- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" "Are you sorry?" "Yes!" BAM! "OH CELESTIA, I SAID I WAS SORRY!" "You didn't sound sincere enough." "You're a fucking psychopath!" BAM! "OH MAN WHAT THE FUCK!? DEAR CELESTIA IT HURTS!" "Well, I hope you can walk without your back kneecaps," I smirked. "Now apologize. Every buckshot offloaded on you is a few more caps off my budget." "I SAID I WAS SORRY!" The poor pony cried out, tears streaming down his face. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT!" He emphasized his agony when he was able to shake the chair he was tied to. "PLEASE!!!" "It'll take more than that to make up for those caps you tried to snatch from me. Ick." I step over the puddle of blood flooding from his, well, I think it would be inappropriate to call them knees, they're more like uh... imagine a mole rat's would look inside out. Yeah, they looked more like that than knees. "HOW IS TORTURING ME AND BLOWING OFF MY LEGS ANY BETTER?" "It's not," I grinned, "but it does make up for it." "IT HURTS SO MUCH! DEAR CELESTIA PLEASE KILL ME NOW!" "I'm no Celestia, but I'd be happy to oblige," I half-joked to the poor sod. "NO! WAIT! I DIDN'T MEAN-" We were suddenly interrupted by the panicked cry of a familiar stallion who I recognized from my time with the Stringers. "BOULDER!" Misfire yelled, crashing through the door. "I heard that- uh, oh... Am I interrupting something?" Misfire sheepishly, "Anyway, it's really important." "What is it? Can't you see I'm teaching a ruffian a lesson?" I scolded him, referring to the pickpocket who was still weeping from pain. "Please... help me." the thief whimpered to my former second-in-command. "Sorry bro, I've learned better to get between this guy and his victim, no matter how stupid and trivial the reason seems." "Hello?" I interrupted, "Misfire? Again, why did you interrupt me?" "It's Aegis, he's down at Four Diamonds and he's about to get into a fight." "So what? Aegis can handle himself in a fight." "It's not that. He's picking a fight with one of Standoff's boys!" "What? Shit." Not one of Standoff's. He can't handle so many alone, no matter how good he is. "Quick, Misfire, where's Buckton?" "He's on his way over there too!" "Fuck, okay, I-" "W-w-what about me?" my little friend tied to the chair interrupted. "Aren't you gonna do anyth-" BAM! "HOLY SHIT!" Misfire squealed as he saw the pickpocket's head get blown apart like a watermelon. "Well, we're good now," I chuckled as I put my shotgun on my back, "let's get Sundown." As we gallop away from that abandoned building painted red with brains, I think to myself, Damn, wasted another bullet. ----- Sundown and I as we approach the bar, we can hear the sound of glass breaking and patrons screaming. "It's either the comedy's terrible, or shit went down," I joked to Sundown, who simply rolled his eyes. "Just because that comedian hates you, doesn't mean their comedy's terrible?" "Wait, so you think it's funny?" "No, I think it's terrib-" Sundown interrupted himself with a scream as a stool flew out the door of the bar. We look at each other, then we rush in ready for anything. ----- "Alright, so what's your take on Standoff?" Badge asked the two interviewers. He was stirring his coffee while he waited for the screen to show a different bunch of numbers and descriptions. "Standoff," Amber Seer stated, "is a suitable candidate. Proficient as a peace-keeper and interrogator, despite his rough ways. He may be rough at times, but his aggressive demeanor happens to be useful for keeping citizens in line and interrogating prisoners. However, we notice that the same level of aggression shown to convicted criminals is shown to civilians as well during interrogation, so that's one situation to look out for." "Oh, and if I may interrupt," chimed in Amber's assistant, "he exhibits great leadership skills. A lot of guards I interviewed say that they're part of... Standoff's Gang.A good number of our recruits and rookies stated that they were here, so it looks like Standoff's making sure the rookies are under his wing. Seems that there are some other underground factions in within the guardsmen by the way, but that topic's for a whole other report..." ----- "Oh, is that ssssssssssssoooooo, rookie?" Sandy Aegis slurred. Right now, a whole bunch of rookies were staring at the red pony with eyes of anger and annoyance. From what we could see, it seemed like someone pissed a shitfaced Aegis, and then they got into a confrontation and Aegis threw his chair out the window. "I think you- hic- are way in over your heads, haha!" Aegis chuckled, "just because a bunch of idiots got together- hic- under a dumbass, doesn't mean you can walk around the station like you're the boss!" I see the young officers readying themselves for a pounce. Things are going to get real ugly, real fast.... "Hey!" a stallion angrily shouted, "We'll teach you respect old man!" The patrons that were close to Aegis got up from their stools and trotted away uneasily. The musicians on stage stopped playing, only watching the scene in front of them unfold in front of them. The audience didn't mind, because they too were watching the show. Some looked worried, some kept on drinking, some were waiting for the fight, hell, I think I saw a table of ponies making bets. Slowly, Aegis was approached on all sides by about ten ponies. He simply laughed at their faces, "You think you three young bloods can beat me? I'm muthafuckin' original! I was a bodyguard at the Fields! I've seen tough and beat the shit out of it!" "Yeah, sure, whatever old man, nobody messes with Standoff's B-" PAK! The pony was cut mid-sentence as his snout was broken by Aegis' hoof. "What the fuck?" One of Standoff's goons cried, "Fuck, get 'im." I charged in, knocking out the pony who said that with a solid headbutt. "Hahaha!" Aegis laughed, "Good to see ya here Boulder!" "You know that I wouldn't let you beat the shit out of Standoff's Gang without me," I grinned back. "Wait, take some of this!" Aegis handed me a whole bottle of vodka. Heh, well, I did need to loosen up. GULP! GULP! GULP! In one drink, I managed to down a whole bottle of vodka. Years of practice, but it paid off. SMASH! I smashed the empty bottle on the floor for the whole intimidation effect, giving Standoff's group a warning. "CHARGE!" one of them screamed as Aegis and I were jumped by eight ponies at once. ----- Police Commissar Brass Badge sat bored to death in his chair. He had a long day of reviewing about everypony in the force, which was a lot. Ex-gang members, old bodyguards, young cadets, hell, there are even ex-NER in the force. Yet, only a few were chosen for T.A.I.L. "How about Boulder?" he asked. Boulder had been a former gang enforcer. Apparently, he was feared by those both outside his gang and those inside it. He wasn't quiet sure of these rumors, but he had fought along side the gray stallion during the coup of Farsight. He seemed very capable, if not a bit... extreme. Of course, he was thinking back to the time he saw Boulder shoot a Ferraturra capo in the legs, then shoved his shotgun up the capo's asshole before blowing his insides apart back at the Clops a few years back. "Well, Boulder is a delicate choice. He shows multiple signs of sadism and psychopathic behavior, despite the fact that he is good at a lot of things. It's only a risk because if he was uncontrollable, the outcome would be ugly." Amber uneasily addressed her boss. The grin forming in his face told her that he was doing what she thought- no, knew, would be a bad idea. "He's in." "What!?" "We need a pony not afraid to take action. And besides, his companion seems to keep him in check." Brass reasoned. "What companion?" "Oh," the junior interviewer piped up, "Desert Sundown," with one click of a button, the mentioned pony's file appears at the screen. "He has a long history with Boulder. He's kind of like the leash that holds Boulder back sometimes." "Sometimes?" Amber was still unsure about her partner's analysis. "Well, that Boulder is a wild card but..." "If you'll excuse me," the chief interrupted, "but tell me more about this... Desert Sundown." ---- "You're going to have to pay for this, you know." The bartender hissed at us. "This is going to cost a fortune." "Come on bro," Aegis tried to bargain. "what say we just forget all this?" "Nope. Mister Buckmare would have my head if I let you go scot-free." "Perhaps," Aegis said in a rather sultry tone, as if he were seducing a mare hopped up on drugs he just met, "we could discuss details, in your room?" "Are... are you hitting on me?" The bartender cringed at the thought. "Wooow," I smirked, "Aegis, I always knew you swung that way." Aegis glared at me angrily, "Hey, I just don't want to pay this shit. I barely have enough bits!" I looked around and saw what he meant. During our little scuffle, we had broken three tables, fifteen bottles (which were filled), two stools, and guitar, not to mention all of the Buckmare guards out cold. "I'm starting to see your point." I glanced towards the pissed off bartender, who's face looked like he underwent a mutation. "Still, I'm not willing to take it from behind to pay it off." "Well, what other plan do we have?" "I dunno, I can think of something." Suddenly, an idea. "Hey! Sundown!" "No." He cut me off sternly. "Well, so much for that plan, genius." PAK! "Oww! What was that for?" "Shut up," I snapped. "Well?" The bartender coldly grunted. Logic dictated only one thing... So I clamped two hooves on his face then smashed it on the bar counter. "Run." "Oh, Celestia Boulder! Do you know how much trouble we could get in?" "Not now Sundown! Now shut the fuck up and run!" "No need to tell me twice," Aegis nodded, right before he sped out the door. "You first kiddo," I jested. The orange pony glared at me. You're hopeless. I smiled back, I know. He looked at me, shaking his head. You're hopeless. He trots out with me following right behind him. I look back, and see the ten rookies lying around bloodied, battered and bruised in the bar. I couldn't help but grin a bit. I got into a bar, finished a whole bottle of vodka, got into a fight, won that fight, then left without spending a bit. It was a good day by anypony's standards. ----- KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Ugh, what? KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "For fuck's sake, people are trying to sleep!" I yell to my visitor. "Just you, Boulder," I hear Sundown call from the other side of the door. "Look at the time." "Oh, look at the time," I grumble, "it's a quarter to go fuck yourself leave me alone!" KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "You know I won't leave till you wake up, right? Quillheart called me. Said that we were called by the PD fpr" "I DON'T FUCKING WANT TO!" "Come on." "I said FUCK OFF!" Instinctively I pull out my shotgun then fire at my door. BAM! Then silence. Sweet, sweet silence. Wait a minute. Shit. SHIT. I just shot Sundown. When the situation ticked in on my head, I jolted off bed. Shit. I shot Sundown. "I shot Sundown!" I frantically cried. Hurriedly, I go towards the door then open up, expecting to see the insides of one of my closest friends. Instead, I see Sundown standing right beside my door, well out of the way of my shotgun. "Heh, I know you too well, old ma-" Sundown stopped mid-sentence and stared at me, mouth agape. "What? Did you forget how I look without my hat?" I asked. "Have you looked in a mirror since we came back from the bar?" "No, I- WOAH SHIT!" I was in a bad shape. My left eye was bulging like a bitch, while my body had a variety of cuts and bruises. I'm sure news of what happened over at the bar spread, and it won't take two and two to realize I was involved if they saw the black eye. "Shit. What do we do?" "Well, I'll deny all involvement. I don't know what you're doing." "What do you think I should do!?" "Think of what to do." "Not helping." "I didn't mean to." "You little shit." "Well, if you want an idea, then try to find something to cover up your eyes." Like what? I can't go to work wearing an eyepatch. Wait, I think I saw something. In a cluttered pile of trash, I spot... YES! Sunglasses! Sweet. "Hang on," I call out, "lemme get presentable." I wash my face, brush my teeth and change out of my blood-stained, torn up T-shirt to a nice, crisp black suit. Alright, show time. "I'm ready!" ----- We walk into the briefing room of the NPPD, seeing a lot of familiar faces. The NPPD Briefing Room was a lot like a classroom, a couple of armchairs facing a whiteboard, with a projector and computer at the back of the room. Seated at the chairs, I saw a lot of ponies I didn't recognize, but there are some faces I can name, like Standoff for example, and... wait, no it can't be. Is that? "Yo! Man, ain't you ever mention you was interviewed too?" Buckton cheerily greeted. "'Sup dawg." "Hey Buck. Good to see a friendly face around here, haha!" I chuckled back. "Why dontcha go over there? Aegis was also called with me." We glance over to where Buckton was pointing. There we saw the red pony sitting quietly, wearing a really long sweater that cover up his legs, instead of his usual leather jacket. "Why is he wearing a sweater?" Sundown asked. "Same reason Boulder's wearing shades." I guess he didn't fare to well in the fight either. At that moment, a green, important-looking pony entered the room, "Alright, all of you take a seat now, we're about to start." Brass Badge went to the projector as we all proceeded to sit down facing the screen. "So, I assume you understand why you were all called here today?" "Is it because we've been good little fillies and colts and you're going to give us a lollipop?" Buckton joked. "Yes, of course. We called you to leave your posts and stop keeping Las Pegasus safe because you all deserve a lollipop." "Haha! Wait, really?" SLAP! "NO! NOT REALLY!" Everyone in the room chuckled a bit, seeing the high and mighty commissar of the NPPD get pissed off at some guard's jokes. Buckton, on the other hoof, was busy rubbing the red mark Brass had left on his face. "Damn dawg, I was just messin'," he muttered grumpily. "Hey, don't you snicker on me," he hissed as he caught his seatmate, Aegis, grinning at his partner's idiocy. "Any more smart-ass comments? None? Okay." Brass carried on, pressing a button on the computer at the back of the room. The projector roared awake, lighting up the whiteboard in front of us. "Ladies and Gentlecolts, I've been talking with the City Council and we have come to a decision." Brass announced, the importance of the statement silencing all sounds from that room. Hell, even I was silent. "Welcome to the Twilight Agency in Las Pegasus, or T.A.I.L. All of you in this room are specially hoofpicked individuals whose backgrounds and history well serve our purpose. Any questions?" Suddenly, every hoof in that room was raised. "This is going to be a long briefing," I heard Brass curse under his breath.