Fallout Equestria: Tales of a Courier

by a friendly hobo


Chapter 2: Luck

Chapter 2: Luck

“Aint that a kick in the head?”

“I’m telling you Ace, after surviving a gunshot to the head I’d be surprised if he wakes up anytime this month,” somepony said nearby. “Just go about your business and I’ll notify you of any changes.” Who was he talking to?

“Fine doc, but if he wakes up I want to be first to know.” Question asked and answered. This pony was a mare. Was she talking about me? Why would she be interested in me? What was going on? Maybe if I got up and looked around I might find out where I am. Sounded like a plan.

“Uuuuugh,” I moaned as I tried to get up before a sharp pain in my head sent me straight back down.

“Easy now,” the older pony said. “Don’t try and get up too fast.” Now he tells me. “Try and open your eyes.” Well there was a thought. It felt like my eyelids were made of lead but I managed to get them open. Well, mostly at least.

The room I was in had two hospital beds, lots of fancy medical equipment and a few medical boxes on the walls along with some posters featuring a yellow mare with light pink hair. My vision was too blurry to make out the writing.

“Good. I’m doctor Cloud.” The pony said as I looked at him. He seemed like a nice old unicorn with a big grey moustache, white coat and a balding mane. His appearance was somewhat soothing if blurry. I guess that was why he chose it.

“Welcome to Goodsands.” He levitated a syringe to my head, “this may be uncomfortable but bear with me.” He wasn’t lying but whatever was in that syringe lessened the throbbing in my head. But with that, my foreleg started to hurt. Was that pain there before?

“What…” I started, just barely getting up, “…what happened?”

“Memory loss, eh? Well I guess that’s a side effect from a bullet to the brain. Can you remember your name?”

“Clover,” I said as I moved to the side of the bed, “so I got shot in the head? Then why does my foreleg hurt.” I raised my right foreleg and was shocked to see a five centimeter scar. “How did that happen?”

“According to Ace and Dusty, they brought you in here, some fancy fella knifed your foreleg then shot you in the head.”

…Fancy fellow...

“Double Down!” I spluttered, memories came flooding back; the rock, the ropes, the knife, the fancy suit, Sham- SHAMROCK! “Wheres my brother?! Is he ok?!” I shouted and my head confirmed that was a bad idea. Ouch.

“The orange guy?” he asked before he looked down. “I’m sorry to say that he was dead when he got here. We buried him 4 days ago, we couldn’t wait any longer for you to wake up”

“F…Four…Four days ago?” Tears started to form in my eyes. “How long have I been out?”

“About a week and a half.”

“A week and a half? Shit.” I looked down to see I was wearing a white hospital gown. “Shamrock’s been dead for that long?”

“I’m afraid so. Now, there’s no sense staying in bed any longer, I’m sure you want to see your brother but first I have to do a once over. Make sure you’re still in one piece.”

I slipped down from the side of the bed, rubbing the tears from my eyes and putting all four hooves on the ground. Pain arcing through my head and foreleg.

“Now, that pain should go away on its own in just a few days.” He must’ve noticed my face scrunching up in agony.

He strolled over to a mirror. “Now, I had to go rooting around in your head to pull all the bits of lead out, hollow-point bullets can get messy, and I take pride in my needle work but you’d better tell me what you think.” He waved me over. I could do this, just had to put one hoof in front of the other…

*SLAM*

Then I was face first on the floor. Great.

“Let’s try that again.” Said Cloud as he helped me up.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. I was finally able to walk two feet. I looked into the mirror. Same emerald eyes, pale grey coat and black mane… and a two centimeter scar just above my left ear. “Well, nothings out of place.” I stared at the scar, “Please tell me that will go away.”

“Afraid not kid. By the time you were brought in here and I pulled the bullet out it was too late to be able to get rid of the scar. It will heal up just fine, but will always be visible”

“Damn.” Wait, why were we talking about this and not Shamrock? “Enough, take me to my brother!” The tears in my eyes were reappearing,

“Fine but you aren’t going out in a hospital gown. I’m fairly certain I’ve got something you can wear…” He said as he disappeared into his bedroom.

A few moments later he reappeared with a folded up blue barding with a yellow stripe along the collar and down the front, “My old stable jumpsuit. I grew up in stable 43 before Mr. House turned it into a hotel. I can’t say I’ll miss these old rags.”

Old rags? They seemed good as new! Albeit a little bit dusty but much better than that gown, that’s for sure. It was starting to get a bit breezy…

“Before you go,” he said, while rummaging through a crate, “here is a box of painkillers in pill form, there’s about fifteen in there so more than enough to hold you together till the pain goes. But be careful, they can get addictive, so no more than two a day, got it?” I nodded, “Good. Oh! And another thing, here.” He levitated something that looked like a tube with a computer on it, “hold out your foreleg.”

“Wait, what is that?” I backed up, “looks weird.”

“This here is a Stabletech Pipbuck, state of the art earth pony ingenuity. I’ve no use for it nowadays. I mostly just potter around my home, maybe go to the saloon once in a while. Nothing that requires the Pipbuck’s features. Now, hold out your foreleg.” I complied. This thingamajig intrigued me.

The Pipbuck closed around my left foreleg.

“Well now, I think it’s registered you. Try bringing up the EFS.”

“EFS?”

“Eyes-Forward Sparkle.”

“Um…ok…how do I- oh there it is. What is that doc?” There was a bar at the edge of my vision.

“That bar is a compass and if you look at me.” I turned to face him. “See that white tick? That means that I’m not hostile, if its red, it means I am hostile. Easy, hmm?”

“Quite…wait, hold on a sec, what is that?” I noticed another bar to my right.

“Hm? Oh, you must mean your heads up display! The HUD will tell you your current weapon’s condition and ammo. I heard it’s a Stabletech West design, but I can’t be sure.”

“How useful, now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a grave to see.”

“It’s just up the hill behind the saloon. If you decide to head back out into the desert, which I really don’t recommend, then come back here before you leave.”

I opened the door and closed it behind me.

------ ------ ------

“Well, look whose decided to join the realm of the living,” a familiar voice said from beside me. It came from a young mare, around the same age as me, maybe older. She was a pale beige unicorn with a brown coloured mane. “Name’s Ace.” That would explain the ace of spades on her flank, wait, Ace?

“You were one of the ones who brought me here weren’t you?”

“Yup, Dusty and I were out chasing away geckos from our water supplies when we heard shouting. We go to check it out and there’s an orange pony with his brains blown out.” I looked at her angrily. She faltered on her words, “Uh…um…sorry. So we cut you two down and carried you to Doc Cloud’s but your friend had already passed on. Again, sorry.”

“He was more than a friend…” I said

“Oh, you didn’t strike me as that kind of pony.” That kind of pony?

“Well I’m not that kind of pony. He was my brother.”

“Damn, I’m really sorry.” She looked like she meant it.

“Save it. Where’s he buried?”

She walked out in front of me as I shuffled along, trying to hold down both my sorrow and the urge to smack the mare in the face. That urge must be brought on from the frustration from the pain in my foreleg. We walked in silence up the hill to the Goodsands Cemetery.

In front of me was a freshly filled grave. The stone had “Here lies… loving…” carved in it.

“Why are these parts blank?” I asked.

“Well we didn’t know his name or who he was important to.”

“His name was Shamrock and he was a loving brother and son.”

“Noted.”

We stood there for a few moments before she left me alone with the grave.

“I’ll be in the Saloon. When you’re done here, meet me there.” she said.

I just stood looking at the grave as she left.

Two relatives in the space of a month and I was apparently the lucky one now I was lucky to be the last remaining pony in my family.

“It shouldn’t have ended like this Shamrock. We were supposed to open a business together, grow old then die.” Tears fell onto the warm dry dirt below me. “Now I just wish I could’ve buried you next to dad back in the Apple Plains.”

I stood there sobbing and reminiscing for hours before looking up at the low mountains past the dry desert in front of me as the sun slowly set behind me.

“As Celestia is my witness, Double Down is going to pay for what he did, make no mistake.” I growled. “Goodbye Shamrock. I’m gonna miss you…” I started walking down the hill towards the saloon.

I intended to drink myself to oblivion.

------ ------ ------

The saloon was almost empty. except for the bartender, Ace, a pony sitting in one of the booths and a green pony being aggressive at the bartender. His barding had NCRCF written on the back.

“If you don’t give me Rings, I’m gonna get my friends and we will burn this place to the ground!” He was waving his hoof at the bartender before storming past me and out the door.

“What’s his problem?” I muttered as I sat at the bar. “Got any Golden Harp?”

“Nope,” the bartender said, not looking up from the glass he was cleaning.

“Fine, give me the strongest whiskey you have then.” He gladly complied.

“He’s one of them Blammo Bunch,” said Ace, sitting beside me.

“Blammo Bunch?” I said, raising my eyebrow, “Sounds silly to me.”

“Yeah well that’s what we all thought.”

“Where did they come from?”

“They’re convicts, sent here by the NCR to work on the new train lines. Big breakout in the correctional facility just south of here. Turns out, giving a bunch of convicts explosives to clear rocks isn’t such a great idea. Now, between the Blammo Bunch, Hyenas, Rattlers and a bunch of other bandit groups it aint safe to travel the highways anymore.”

“Who are the Hyenas and Rattlers?”

“A few years back they were the big bandit gangs in this area but since the NCR arrived and stared clearing the area they’re just petty raiders. Not like the ones you find in the Old Neighgas ruins or the ruins of Mustang. Those raiders aren’t even ponies, they’re monsters. No morals what so ever. They kill, maim, rape and desecrate for fun whereas The Hyenas and Rattlers will probably just mug you an’ maybe kill you.”

“So they both kill random people?”

“Yup, but the ruin’s raiders will torture you and after you’re dead they’ll cut you up, fuck what’s left and decorate their home with parts of you.”

“Charming.” I took sip of whiskey. “So what do the Blammo Bunch want with this Rings fellow?”

“Oh, Rings? The Blammo Bunch apparenlty attacked his caravan and he fled here lookin’ to hide. Honestly, I hope he just sneaks off during the night and takes then with him…”

“Why haven’t you tried helping him?” I turned to her.

“We don’t want to get caught up in that sort of thing.” The bartender said.

“But if they get their hands on him, they’ll tear him to bits! I don’t care if you help me or not, I’m helping him!” I slammed my hoof on the table followed by a small ‘yipe’ as I held my scarred foreleg.

“Not like that you can’t. At least not alone.” Ace patted me on the back, “I’m in. Those Blammo Bunch bastards won’t know what hit em.”

“Who else might help?”

“Dusty might.” I remembered I hadn’t met Dusty yet. “First things first, we need to find out if you’re in fighting condition! Meet me round back.” And with that she hopped off her stool and trotted out the back door.

“Listen kid.” The bartender said, finally looking up, “If you fight them, you’d better take them all out, otherwise they’ll just get their friends and we’re all screwed.”

“I intend to.” I gulped down the rest of my whiskey and left.

------ ------ ------

“First of all, do you have any weapons training?” said Ace with her odd pump action shotgun levitated beside her.

“yeah…well I was a pretty good shot.” I didn’t know if I still was, considering my brain had a hole in it.

“We’re about to find out then.” She floated a small rifle to me. “That there is a Varmint rifle. Not very powerful but it gets the job done.” It didn’t look powerful at all…

“Right,” she said as I took it from her, “Try take out that sarsaparilla bottle over there,” she pointed her nose at a fence with 8 bottles on top.

I aimed down the sights. This weapon was a lot lighter than my hunting rifle, Longshot, I could barely feel the butt of it against my shoulder or the grip between my teeth. I didn’t like it. I pulled the trigger and a bottle exploded into smithereens.

“Hooee, nice shot. Now try the rest.” I complied with a grin.

I smashed them bottle by bottle with pretty good accuracy. By the time we finished the moon was starting to crest over the eastern mountains, making the glass shards glimmer against the dirt.

“You’ve got nowhere to stay, do you?” Ace asked as we walked back into the saloon. She seemed concerned.

“Nope.”

“I’m sure Cloud will let you stay another night, given the circumstances.” I hoped so, after all that target practice I was down to fourteen pain pills and still had a splitting headache.

------ ------ ------

*SSSSS*

“YAAAAAAARGH!” Shamrock screamed. I could see Double Down extinguishing his cigarette on Shamrock face. I could see me, tied up to the rock beside him. I was staring at them from a hill. I tried running to Shamrock. I had to save him but with each hoof fall the further away they seemed.

My brother and Double Down were laughing while the leather clad ponies’ heads grew larger around me, tinted with red and laughing hysterically as I kept running. They started swirling as Double Down walked away. Swirling, swirling, faster and faster before Double Down raised his gun to my brother.

“AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!” His eyes turned red as he opened his mouth revealing sharp teeth and a forked tongue jutting out with each laugh as he pulled the trigger.


“NOOO!” I shouted as I shot up. I was in Doctor Cloud’s ward again covered in cold sweat and gasping for air; my covers lay tangled around my hind legs. I was shivering, tears streaming down my face.

“Nightmares?” I jumped, looking at the door way, Cloud stood there with a tray with 2 coffees levitated beside him. He carried it to me. “No need to worry, you almost slept a full nine hours. That’s better than most people with injuries like yours.” That wasn’t sleep. That was hell.

I fell back onto the bed and wiped my face with the covers I had untangled. “What time is it?”

“Five A.M.”

Five A.M.? That would mean I went to bed at eight P.M. That couldn’t have been right. I looked out the window to see the sun starting to poke over the low mountains to the east. Its warm rays were starting to flood over the desert, banashing the shadows.

“You want to talk about it?” Cloud asked, handing me a cup and settling in a chair beside my bed.

“No.” I said.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure”

“Alright, you’ll come out of your shell went you’re ready.” He backed off. “Now, what worries me is that you’re trying to start a fight with the Blammo Bunch. With a head injury such as yours I wouldn’t recommend it.”

I looked at him with a dark stare. “They are harming innocents.” I growled. My eyes went wide. Where the hell did that come from? That wasn’t like me at all! I mean sure, people who harm the innocent should be brought to justice but when did I get so dark about it?

“Well I see that.” Cloud said. He seemed to have backed up a little in his chair. “But you don’t stand a chance against them. There’s about six other ponies in Corn Cob’s little group and one of you.”

“Ace is going to help me,” I said. I looked back at the ceiling, “she said Dusty might, wherever he is.”

“Well if you’re doing it to protect that caravaner, I suppose I could give you some extra medical supplies just in case. It won’t be much but I’d rather you lot not die.”

“That easily?” There had to be a catch.

“You don’t seem like the type I could talk out of doing something, so I’m not even going to try.”

Maybe it would be that easy…

“I’ve got work to do.” I got up and ignored the dull throb of my head and foreleg. “Where’s this Dusty fellow’s house?”

“It’s the shack at the end of the road.” I put on my new stable barding and slung my new underpowered rifle over my side. Something struck me as odd, why wasn't Cloud stopping me? It was five A.M. for Luna’s sake. Something was up.

“Won’t Dusty be asleep?” I asked as I head to the door. Cloud looked at me and chuckled.

“No.”

“Early riser?”

“You could say that.” He looked out the window, “you’ll find out when you meet him.”

------ ------ ------

The shack Dusty supposedly lived in was small and made of rusty tin sheets. I raised my hoof to knock on the door. Before I could, it swung open and before me stood a robot about half a pony taller than me. His blue metal finish was coated with trail dust. The screen in the middle of his body showed a grinning cowbuck with a cigarette held nonchalantly from the side of his mouth.

“Howdy partner! It’s been a while! And may I say, you look as fine as a fiddle!”

I stared at him, slack jawed. I suppose Cloud was right, he was an early riser. Probably been awake since before the war.

“I…uh…” I mumbled, still in shock,

“Well don’t just stand there! C’mon in! Make yourself at home.” He said, moving to the side, his large shoulder…blocks (?) bumping into the doorway. “Can I get you anything? Food? Water? Oil?”

“Um…thanks but no thanks.” I wondered if this was a good idea. The inside of his shack was a lot nicer than the outside, that’s for sure. Other than the machine parts, Ministry of Wartime Technology posters and Robronco posters, it was rather cozy. I introduced myself and got to explaining my plan to help Rings but before I could finish he raised his tri-claw-hand-thingy, cutting me off. His voice went from a happy-go-lucky cowbuck to a serious steely voice.

“Bandits, eh? Count me in. Nothing better than a good old fashioned bandit hunt.” That was easier than expected.

“So that makes three of us. Four if I can get rings to help.” who I still hadn’t met now that I think about it,

“Even with those chances, I think we can pull it off.”

“Alright, meet me and Ace at the saloon in one hour, Dusty.” I said as I walked out the door into the fresh morning air. The sun was now hanging over the mountains, bathing the desert in its warm glow.

“Celestia, you’ve really outdone yourself today.” I said after breathing in the nice fresh air. The landscape created by the sun coming up over the mountains was marvelous. I wish Shamrock... I looked down as I caught myself before I went further. “There’s a time to grieve, but now is not it.” I stomped down from Dusty’s porch and made my way to the saloon.

------ ------ ------

The bartender was more than happy to tell me where Rings was hiding out. Even at six am he was wide eyed and bushy tailed. I had forty-five minutes before I was to meet Dusty, plenty of time to get Rings to come out of his hidey hole.

Apparently, he was hiding out in the old electrical substation just behind the town. The place looked dreary. The windows were dusty, the concrete was cracked and the electrical conduits were rusty and dilapidated. It was clear that this station had not been used in a very long time.

I knocked on the door and was met with a 9 mm pistol pointed between my eyes.

“Who are you? Did the Blammos send you?!” the pony on the other side of the door said.

“No, as a matter of fact I’m here to help you with your predicament.” I was shaking. I certainly didn’t like having a gun to my head, that’s for sure. Especially not after I saw it was suspended in a levitation field, “Please put the gun away?” I asked, sheepishly.

He poked his head around the gap of the door and looked me up and down before letting me in. “You weren’t followed were you?” as he scanned the the area outside the door.

“Nope.”

He turned back to me, “You don’t look like a Blammo, that’s for sure… who are you and why are you helping me?”

“I’m Clover.” I said. Why was I helping? Good question. Was it because he was an innocent person? I felt like it was my duty to help. I don’t know but I figured I’d go with that. “I’m helping because I don’t let anyone push around the innocent.”

“Well isn’t that noble.” He smiled, “Don’t get that much around here these days. Say, I haven’t seen you around town before. When did you get here? And how did you get those gruesome scars?”

Forward much? “Apparently I’ve been around here for over a week, but I’ve been out cold for most of it.”

“Uh huh. And what about those sca-” my angry gaze cut him off. “All right then…” he backed up a bit, “so how do you plan on helping me?”

“Simple. We’re going to get rid of them.”

“How?” his smile dissipating.

“We’ve got guns. We’ve got ammo. I’m sure we can persuade them to leave.”

“Oh… well that’s all well and good but there’s only two of us. Two against six aren’t very good odds.”

“Neither is surviving a bullet to the brain but I managed to. Besides, there are four of us.”

“Four?” He looked quizzical.

“Me, you, Ace and Dusty.”

“Well Ace I’ve got no problems with but I haven’t met Dusty and you don’t look like someone who can fight. No offence.”

“Gee, thanks.” I nickered. “Trust me, Dusty is more than capable and I’m a good shot with a rifle. No matter how small or under powered…” I stated glaring at my varmint rifle.

He seemed to be thinking about it. “No. I’m not letting other ponies get killed because of me. I mean, we if we get hurt?!”

“Doc Cloud is donating some supplies to the cause.”

“In that case…” He said, thinking again, “Maybe.”

“Maybe? Why maybe?” My turn to be quizzical.

“Have you got a plan?”

“Well...no. But I’m smart, I’ll think of something.”

“…I don’t like it but fine, now I can’t be held responsible if anyone dies, ok?” Seemed like an odd thing to worry about but ok.

“Good. I’ll come get you when we’re ready.” And with that I left. The door was locked behind me.

------ ------ ------

By about midday, we were as prepared as we could be to take the fight to the Blammos. According to Rings, they were camped out just south of Goodsands.

“What’s the deal with the robot?” Rings asked as we walked down the road,

“Dusty? Your guess is as good as mine but he doesn’t seem to be a threat to us.” I glanced over my shoulder. Ace and Dusty were conversing about something or other, I didn’t really care. Plus trying to listen in was making my head hurt. “Besides, he was more than happy to help us,” I said. Dusty was nice but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

“If you say so… their camp’s just around those rocks.”

The rocky outcrop ahead of us was ideal. Big with plenty of cover.

“Right, Dusty, Ace, stay here, Rings and I are going to recon the area up ahead.” Recon? Why would I say that? No time to think about that now.

Rings and I climbed the rocks and went prone, I got out the binoculars Cloud had given me for this very task. I scanned the immediate area and spotted bed rolls around a camp fire along with a group of ponies huddled over what seemed to be a map. My E.F.S indicated they were not hostile. Yet.

“I count six,” I said while handing Rings the binoculars,

“That sounds right. There weren’t a lot that attacked me. Yep that’s them.” He handed the binoculars back.

“What’s NCRCF?” I spied the one making the threats the other day,

“New Canterlot Republic Correctional Facility. It’s the prison set up to keep those convicts working on the railroads in line. That was, of course, until they broke out.”

“Charming, right I’ve got a plan.”

I slid back down the rock and joined Ace and Dusty.

“Right, we’ve got six enemies about twenty five meters behind these rocks with cover on the left and right flanks. First, Dusty, what kind of armaments, if any, do you have?” A barrel slid out from his claw thingy. His screen went from a happy cowbuck to an even happier cowbuck, grinning manically. “That answers that then. Ace?” she whipped the shotgun from beside her, “interesting shotgun.” I hadn’t seen that kind before.

“This here is a trench gun.” She said, admiring it. “Customized it myself. Can carry 8 slugs at a time. This is a pump action, buckshot shooting, slug munching son of a bitch. And I love it.”

“Fair enough. Right, here’s the plan…”

------ ------ ------

Everyone was in position. Good thing Doc gave me this Pipbuck. It could even record voice and that combined with Dusty being a robot was going to prove very useful. He was still behind the rocks. Rings had stayed with him and Ace was on the left flank. She was stealthier than I thought. I mean, she was hiding behind a cactus! Me, I was behind a rock on the right flank. Now to start this shindig.

“Corn Cob!” my voice shouted from Dusty’s speakers. That got his attention. I went prone and lined up a shot. “What happens if we give you Rings?”

“That’s simple. We take him and let Goodsands be.” Cob called back.

“Why do you want him?”

“Because he knows too much about our plans...”

“And if we don’t hand him over for you to kill?”

“We roll up into Goodsands and burn it down until we find him.”

“In that case…” Dusty rounded the corner and opened fire. He hit two Blammos while the rest ducked into cover. He continued firing. Ace started peppering them with buckshot. I still had Cob in my sights.

Time slowed around me as I realized I was about to kill a pony. A living, breathing pony. Was I ready to do this? Spill the blood of another?

“You can do this.” A voice inside my head said, “Just pull the trigger…”

I couldn’t do it!

“Of course you can,” The voice continued, “It may be spilling blood but it’s spilling blood in the name of justice. Do you think Double Down had this problem when he shot your-”

Cob fell to the ground and blood started to pool around him. Ace had hit him before I could.

Two more went down as Ace caught the rest from behind. How did she get back there? The two who had been hit in Dusty’s volley had bled out and there was just one left. A dark blue pony. He seemed to be fidgeting with something from behind cover. It was a grenade. “Fuck.” I thought to myself.

The world stopped around me as a targeting icon overlaid the bandit with the explanatory test “Welcome to S.A.T.S, please choose a target.” I aimed for his hind leg, hoping we could take him as a prisoner.

The shot hit home with surprising accuracy. That S.A.T.S thing really helped! He faltered and looked in my direction. Ace shot at him. Some of the buckshot hit the grenade which exploded in his mouth causing his head to blow open in my direction.

Ace, Dusty and Rings walked up to the blood spattered area in which Cob had taken cover.
Rings winced, Dusty’s screen turned into a disappointed cowbuck whike Ace started rummaging through their stuff. I continued to lie where I was. I had just seen a pony’s head explode and could think of nothing else until I noticed Ace had started to approach.

“You ok?” I stayed still. She looked concerned. She knelt down next to me and prodded my shoulder. I looked up at her.

“Th...That pony’s head...” I said. I couldn’t collect my thoughts.

“Never seen someone die before. I see.” She said as she patted my shoulder. “These were bad ponies. They had it coming.” She helped me onto my hoofs, either she was forgetful or had the decency not to mention seeing my brother shot.

“I couldn’t pull the trigger. I couldn’t kill another pony.” I said as I stared at her. She didn’t look angry or disappointed as I had expected. She looked sympathetic.

“We all freeze up from time to time. There’s no shame in it.”

“How did you manage it? To kill them without hesitation?”

“This ain't my first kill, Clove. I spent a few months as a caravan guard. But I can still remember my first. Raider outside of Mustang. His little gang decided to attack the caravan I was guarding. Took his head clean off. I was sick for a few days after that... but it got easier with time.” She said as she bent over one of the bodies. She started rummaging through his pockets.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Scavenging.” she said as she pulled out a stick of dynamite.

“But you’re taking from the dead!”

“Listen, Clover, you’re new to the wastelands. It’s survival of the fittest out here. You take what you can get,” Rings said, putting his hoof on my shoulder. “You’d better get used to it.”

Better get used to it... I walked away, “Where you going?” Ace called.

“I need a drink.”

------ ------ ------

There were four empty whiskey glasses in front of me by the time Ace and Rings arrived at the saloon, their saddle packs somewhat heavier. They spotted me at the far end of the bar.

“What’s wrong Clove?” Ace said as she sat down beside me, putting her hoof around me.

“I saw some ponies die today.”

“But we saved almost three times that many. If you hadn’t had the balls to at least try to stand up to them we would all be dead.”

“But they were ponies like you and me.”

“Those weren’t ponies, they were monsters.”

“Maybe.” I sighed. “I need another drink.”

“Yeehaw, now you’re talking!” She whinnied. I could tell she did that to cheer me up.

“Besides, kid,” Rings said as he trotted up behind us, “I can start heading home now.”

I liked Rings. He was a nice pony. Even if he was a bit suspicious and on edge but overall he was nice.

“See you guys around,” he said as he went to the door.

“You leaving us?” Ace asked.

“Yup. Gotta head home to my wife and kids. They’ll be worried sick. If you ever go to New Neighgas, be sure to visit Eastside and look me up.” We bid our farewells and he left giving us a smile over his shoulder as he walked out of the door with his pack.

Two more whiskeys appeared before me. Over the next few hours, more and more piled up and by the end of the day I was laughing. For the first time in about two weeks, I was laughing.

“Thanks Ace. I really needed a drinking buddy after today.”

“Aw shucks, it was nothing,” she said as she swayed from side to side. “You go back to Doc Cloud’s. I’ll get these.”


I looked at the clock. We had been drinking all day. I was going to have a hell of a hangover if I didn’t get any water. I left the saloon and went back to Cloud’s. He gave me a bottle of water and I fell fast asleep.

------ ------ ------

Either I was too drained or too drunk but I slept like a log. No dreams or nightmares to torment my rest. For once, this desert had had mercy on me. I had only been there, well consciously, for 4 days and so far I’d been stabbed, shot and traumatized. I had a feeling that that was just the beginning.

“Morning.” Cloud said as he put on his glasses. “Let’s have a look at your head.” He came closer and started scanning it with his horn. “Looks ok to me. No sign of infection or any deterioration.” That was oddly comforting to know.

I rolled over and got out of bed. “What do you plan on doing now? I mean, you’ve helped the town and a complete stranger from probable doom and in doing so you’ve earned quite a reputation around here.”

What am I going to do now? I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, sure, I was going to take down Double Down but from Goodsands I had no idea which way to go. Double Down seemed like the gambler type so I assume he’s going to New Neighgas.

“I dunno Doc. My brother was killed and I have no idea where the guy who killed him went.” I died a little inside at those words.

“He probably went south. The north is a dangerous place these days. Been some odd individuals showing up there. Not to mention the influx of Hellhounds.”

“Hellhounds?”

“Mutated Diamond Dogs.” I had read about Diamond Dogs before. They mostly lived underground searching for precious gems. I wonder what the irradiate ones were like.

“Trust me, you don’t want to fight them. They’ll try to kill you as soon as they see you and by golly, they WILL kill you.” Sounded bad. So that’s north scratched off my list of places to go. “Well almost all of them will kill you. There are some that have decent intelligence and aren't hostile but the ones up north are.”

“Your best bet is to head south to Lipton. If I was Mr. Double Down, I would have headed there.”

“Lipton?” I asked.

“Closest form of civilization between here and the Black Mountain pass. Other than that Ponave Outpost, of course. It’s small but sustainable. They make great ice tea to boot.”

“I guess I’ll be heading south then.”

“Not before breakfast you ain’t.” I could have gone for some food come to think of it…
He led me into his kitchen and started poking around his fridge. He pulled out two old looking boxes, “Pinkie’s Pies”. He opened them and put the contents in front of me. It was a small pie that looked quite scrumptious.

“Pinkie’s Pies, eh? Never heard of them before,” I said.

“You’re from out west right?” I nodded. “That’s probably why.”

“What do you mean?” I said between bites. These pies were delicious.

“You only get the freshest foods out west. In the desert we either grow for ourselves or scrounge from the world before.”

“What do you…are you telling me that these pies are 200 years old?” I had stopped chewing completely.

“Don’t worry kid, these pies are full of enough preservatives to last till the apocalypse. Well, a natural apocalypse at least.” Good enough for me and yummy to boot.

“So I guess you’ll be heading out once you’re done?” I nodded again, “Well in that case, you’d better know what you’re facing.

“To the east, just after Hoofer Dam it’s a war zone. Every other day there’s a skirmish between the NCR and Crusader’s Legion.” I remembered Oscar telling me about that.

“There’s bandits throughout the desert, not as bad as before the NCR rolled up but they’re still looking for easy targets so watch yourself.”

He took our plates to the sink and sat back down, “Another thing, avoid the ruins of Mustang at all costs. It was one of the only places around here that really got hit by the megaspells. Most of that place is hot with radiation and anywhere that isn’t is full of raiders, not to mention the things that inhabit the irradiated zones.”

“Things?” That didn't sound good.

“No-one knows what they are. Can’t get a good look at them ‘cause by the time you see one, you’re moments away from frying in the radiation.”

“Keep my eyes open and avoid Mustang, got it. Anything else?”

“Yup. Watch who you’re aiming at while you’re out there. Not everypony is a bandit. Occasionally you might see a trade caravan or a NCR patrol. You don’t shoot them and everything is fine.”

“Alright…”

“And another thing. You won’t get far in the desert alone. It’s always better to travel with others. Make yourself less of a target.”

“Alright then, I’ll be getting my stuff together and I’ll get out of your mane.” I said as I went back into the room that I was staying in.

“What stuff?” Cloud called back. Good point. I had nothing but the jumpsuit Cloud had given me and the rifle Ace had donated. I had nothing. “Here,” he placed a saddle bag with a little clover on it on me.

“What’s in there?” It felt slightly heavy.

“Just enough to get you to Lipton.” he said. He handed me a water flask, “food, my binoculars, some healing bandages, a couple of health potions, a sleeping bag, a pack of matches, some caps and water.”

“Where do I put the brass horse shoes?” I nickered

“You could use some of those,” he chuckled. “I guess this is goodbye then.” We were standing at Cloud’s front door.

“Not forever Doc, my brother is here. You know, other than the Apple Plains, I don’t think I would bury him anywhere else.” Tears were starting to form in eyes. I forced them down and raised my hoof, “Doc, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.”

He shook my hoof and said, “Kid, from what Half Pint tells me,” he was the bartender apparently, “you’ve saved us from getting burned to the ground. We should be thanking you.”

I smiled, “See you around Cloud.” I turned to the door and walked out into the desert sun. I was definitely going to need this water…

I was going to miss that moustached unicorn. He was nice enough to let me stay in his ward for a couple of days. Even if he was old and rambled on a bit...

------ ------ ------

“You hittin’ the trail?” Ace said from across the road.

“I guess I am. Revenge and whatnot.”

“Well you aren’t going out there alone! You’re going to need a friend out there. I’ll come with you.”

“Are you sure? I mean from what Cloud tells me, it’s hell out there.”

“Listen, Clove. I saw what that fancy fella did to you. I’m not going to let that fly. Plus, from what’s happened over the past couple of days, I reckon you’re going to need all the help you can get.” That’s true. My head might not hurt as much but inside I was dying, from watching my brother die and seeing a pony’s head explode. This was going to be a difficult trip. “And I’ve been out there before, you know.”

“Alright.”

“Great, let’s go!”

“Don’t you have to get anything for the trip? Who knows how long it’s going to be.”

“I packed this morning. I knew you would buckle. You know what’s weird? I went to say goodbye to Dusty but he wasn’t there. It’s like he skipped town or something...”

That was weird come to think of it...

We started towards what remained of the road. Our first few steps on the journey of a lifetime. With the unknown at the helm and fate covering us, I think we’ll make it...


… probably…




Footnote: LEVEL UP!
New perk: “Focus” Level 1. That bullet in the head seems to have stimulated your brain in such a way that time slows down a fraction while you focus down the sights of a rifle.

Special thanks to Demetrius and everyone else who helped out to make this jumble of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in to a halfway decent story.

MORE special thanks to Kal for the revisions.